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Testimony connects Courtney to OSU
Pretrial motions for Wilberger case reveal testimony from two former OSU students who saw Courtney
Lauren Dillard
Issue date: 5/7/09 Section: News
During pretrial motions being held this week, several witnesses testified against Joel Patrick Courtney, 42, who is facing charges for the kidnap, rape and murder of Brigham Young University student, Brook Wilberger, five years ago.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Courtney, who faces 14 counts of aggravated murder.
Testimonies came from two women on Monday, who described sexual assault by Courtney more than 20 years ago. Prosecutors want to include these past convictions of sexual assault as evidence in Courtney's official trial, which is scheduled for February 2010.
The judge then heard from three more witnesses on Tuesday, two of which are former OSU students.
Testimony from two of the witnesses described a man in a green van who stopped them to ask for directions. One witness said the situation made her feel uneasy after the man got out of the van and opened his side door, so she backed away.
Testimony also came from a man who described seeing a man in a green van speaking to a young woman on the street near Reser Stadium. The man pointed out Courtney as the man in the van.
Both of these instances happened the same day as Wilberger's disappearance.
Wilberger, who was then 19, was taken outside of an apartment complex near the OSU campus on May 24, 2004.
Her body has not been recovered, but she is presumed dead.
Courtney's defense has submitted motions to throw out charges that would lead to the death penalty.
Courtney was already serving 18 years for the kidnap and rape of a University of New Mexico student when he was extradited last year to Oregon in order to be tried for the Wilberger disappearance.
These pretrial motions are used to decide what evidence will be allowed during the official trial. More testimonies are set to be heard this Tuesday, May 12.
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Courtney, who faces 14 counts of aggravated murder.
Testimonies came from two women on Monday, who described sexual assault by Courtney more than 20 years ago. Prosecutors want to include these past convictions of sexual assault as evidence in Courtney's official trial, which is scheduled for February 2010.
The judge then heard from three more witnesses on Tuesday, two of which are former OSU students.
Testimony from two of the witnesses described a man in a green van who stopped them to ask for directions. One witness said the situation made her feel uneasy after the man got out of the van and opened his side door, so she backed away.
Testimony also came from a man who described seeing a man in a green van speaking to a young woman on the street near Reser Stadium. The man pointed out Courtney as the man in the van.
Both of these instances happened the same day as Wilberger's disappearance.
Wilberger, who was then 19, was taken outside of an apartment complex near the OSU campus on May 24, 2004.
Her body has not been recovered, but she is presumed dead.
Courtney's defense has submitted motions to throw out charges that would lead to the death penalty.
Courtney was already serving 18 years for the kidnap and rape of a University of New Mexico student when he was extradited last year to Oregon in order to be tried for the Wilberger disappearance.
These pretrial motions are used to decide what evidence will be allowed during the official trial. More testimonies are set to be heard this Tuesday, May 12.
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
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Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
jim
posted 5/07/09 @ 5:30 AM PST
IF he is guilty, then he should die a SLOW PAINFUL death, not a quick one!
Tucker Rossetto
posted 5/07/09 @ 6:53 PM PST
Yeah, that'll bring Brook back!
And screw that Constitution thing!
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