HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After the Kansas Court of appeals sided with the defendant in a Hutchinson murder case who sought to have statements he made to law enforcement suppressed, the state has filed with the Kansas Supreme Court to review the appeals court decision.
District Attorney Keith Schroeder confirmed Friday that he filed the documents with the state’s highest court in an effort to get those statements made by Billy Craig, Jr. admitted at trial.
Judge Tim Chambers suppressed the statements made by Craig involving the murder of Jennifer Heckel. The state appealed that ruling, but the Court of Appeals upheld the judge’s decision. The defense requested that statements made during taped interviews with law enforcement over the killing of Heckel be suppressed, some prior to him being charged with murder, saying they didn’t believe the statements were made voluntarily.
Judge Chambers had granted the motion for statements made on July 19, which occurred in a transport vehicle and in interrogations on August 12 and August 24, of 2011. In some of these statements, Craig apparently implicated himself as being involved in the killing of Heckel. She was murdered on June 14, 2011. Later, he got cold feet and claimed he made it all up.
Schroeder had 30 days to make a decision on whether to take Craig to trial without the statements, or to ask for a review by the Kansas Supreme Court. Schroeder says he has filed for the review with that court.
Craig is charged with murder and other crimes associated with the killing of Heckel.
Co-defendant Charles Christopher Logsdon has already been convicted in the case and was sentenced by Judge Trish Rose to 73 years in prison.
The Heckel murder was a case of mistaken identity. They intended to rob Kayla Salyer-Rodriquez, but ended up at the wrong house.