Brad Scott Compher back in court for case status
The man charged with killing a Pocatello woman in 2004 was back in court Friday for a status update on the case.
Brad Scott Compher is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 25-year-old Nori Jones.
Jones was found dead in her home on Pole Line Road in Sept. 2004. She had been stabbed dozens of times and had several defensive wounds.
It was thanks to advanced DNA technology in years after Jones’s death that led to Compher’s arrest. He was arrested and charged in Sept. 2014, very near the ten-year anniversary of Jones’ death.
In Compher’s original preliminary hearing, details emerged showing that Compher’s fingerprints were found on the back door of Jones’ house, as well as on a window. That window screen had been sliced open and that is where police determined Jones’ killer had entered the house. Prosecutors also said Compher’s DNA was found on multiple parts of Jones’ body. Compher’s DNA was also found on Jones’ ring, found at the crime scene.
Compher was first scheduled to go to trial in April 2016. That trial was pushed back three times for various delays.
Prosecutor for the case, Zachary Parris, said the biggest delay in the case has been with how much discovery, or evidence, comes into play for the case. He said the evidence is pretty much all scientific, no eyewitness accounts. Science takes a long time to prove or to argue.
In court Friday, a motion was discussed that is currently on the table. The defense is asking the court to reconsider certain DNA evidence. Parris said because it is an open case, he cannot comment on the specifics of that. But in court, the defense did say that motion is waiting on a decision from the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, which could take some time.
The defense also requested more time to gather its expert witnesses for trial, including DNA experts. Judge Stephen Dunn said he wants to get this case moving forward and get Jones justice. But he understands the need to be extremely prepared and thorough, especially in a death penalty case. However, he did give the defense 90 days to gather their expert opinions and send those to the State. The State would then be given sufficient time to gather its own experts to argue the case at trial.
There is another status conference scheduled for October. Right now, it does not seem likely that Compher will face a jury until 2018.
Another previous delay in getting the case to trial was finding another judge. In Nov. 2016, the judge assigned to the case, Judge David Nye, disqualified himself. He had just been nominated for Idaho’s U.S. District Court
The state is seeking the death penalty for Compher. He is charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of enhancement with a deadly weapon. He is being held at the Bannock County Jail.
