After Judge Tim Chamber suppressed some statements made in the case against Billy Craig Jr., for the murder of Jennifer Heckel, the state appealed his ruling and the case has been on hold pending a hearing before the Kansas Court of Appeals.
The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday with District Attorney Keith Schroeder arguing for the state.
The defense wanted some statements made during taped interviews with law enforcement over the killing of Heckel suppressed, some prior to him even being charged with murder saying they didn’t believe the statements were made voluntarily.
Judge Chambers ruled that in one case, Craig believed that if he did not make statements over the murder as requested by the state, he would spend the rest of his life in prison, and if he did, he would be let out of jail and not prosecuted for the murder. Judge Chambers also ruled that law enforcement crossed the line when Craig asked whether an attorney is representing him on the homicide? He was told,.”you don’t have a right to an attorney anyway, because you are not charged with murder.”
The judge granted the motion to suppress for statements made on July 19, in a transport vehicle, an interrogation on August 12 and August 24, all in 2011.
In some of these statements Craig’s apparently implicates himself as being involved in the killing of Heckel, which occurred on June 14, 2011, but later gets cold feet and says he made it all up.
He along with Charles Christopher Logsdon and possibly Matthew Barnes allegedly went to the home of Heckel, killed her while her young son was in the next room listening.
In the hearing before the Court of Appeals, the state seeks to have Judge Chambers ruling suppressing those statements over-turned and allow them admitted at trial.
Logsdon has already been convicted of the crimes associated with this case. He was sentenced by Judge Trish Rose to 73-years in prison.