Posted- Sunday, April 1st, 2007
Christopher Edwards was found guilty Saturday of murdering Jessica O'Grady, a University of Nebraska at Omaha student who went missing in May.
The 19-year-old's body has not been found, but prosecutors relied heavily on DNA evidence found in Edwards' bedroom and car over the two-week trial. They said O'Grady's blood was found on two swords recovered from Edwards' residence as well as on a headboard, mattress, comforter and the ceiling of Edwards' bedroom.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said that without a body, the DNA evidence was critical.
"There was certainly a tremendous amount of circumstantial evidence that she was killed in that room, in Christopher Edwards' bedroom," he said.
The defense team called the validity of the DNA evidence into question throughout the trial and said that without a body, there was no proof O'Grady was dead.
Attorney Steve Lefler said he would appeal the verdict, but he did not indicate whether the absence of a body would be grounds for an appeal.
The jury deliberated for 11 hours Friday and Saturday before finding Edwards, 20, guilty of second-degree murder and a weapons charge.
After the verdict was read Saturday evening, Lefler asked the judge to poll the jury. Each juror confirmed the verdict.
Edwards, who wore a dark suit with a blue shirt in court Saturday, held his head high as he left the courtroom. His face held no emotion.
Lefler said he spoke with Edwards and his family after the verdict was handed down. He said the message he gave Edwards was: "We ain't giving up on him. We ain't giving up on the case."
Edwards' sentencing has been scheduled for May 25. He faces 20 years to life in prison for the murder charge.
Lefler would not comment Saturday on the prospect of a lenient sentence in exchange for information about where O'Grady's body is.
Prosecutors said the last time anyone heard from O'Grady was May 10. Talking on a cell phone from her car, O'Grady said she was headed to the home Edwards shared with his aunt in northwest Omaha.
Authorities have searched for her remains many times since then, including a west Omaha pond in November. Nothing was found.
Shauna Stanzel, O'Grady's aunt, said Saturday evening it is very important to the family to find the body, and she hopes Edwards will help them.
"We will still continue to look for Jessica," she said. "There are no winners here. Jessica is still dead."
Posted- Monday, December 18, 2006
Omaha, NE- Acting on a tip, search crews headed out to once again look
for the body of missing UNO student Jessica O'Grady. A private
investigator claims her company got a tip that O'Grady's boyfriend told another
inmate O'Grady's body was near the Papio Creek. The boyfriend,
Chris Edwards, has been charged in her murder even though her body has not
been found. Searchers are now fighting against the weather, trying
to find Jessica's body before it snows. She hasn't been seen since
May. - click
here for more information
POSTED: 12:55 pm CST November 19, 2006
OMAHA, Neb. -- A trained all-terrain vehicle team and the Douglas County Sheriff's Department again searched for the body of a missing 19-year-old University of Nebraska at Omaha student.
Jessica O'Grady was last seen on May 10 and is presumed dead. Prosecutors have charged an acquaintance sometimes described as her boyfriend with murder in her disappearance. Prosecutors said blood and DNA evidence found in Christopher Edwards' bedroom ties him to her death.
The search teams focused Saturday's search in southwest Omaha along creek beds.
While the searchers did not find O'Grady's remains, they did find the body of a 17-year-old Ralston boy missing since Tuesday.
Officials said Oscar Mercado-Lopez died when his car crashed into a ditch.
Sunday October 22nd, 2006
- Memorial Service Held For Missing UNO Student
- Jessica O'Grady
OMAHA, Neb. -- Family and friends of a missing Omaha college student remembered her Saturday in a memorial service.
Jessica O'Grady was last seen May 10. She made a call from her cell phone just before midnight, saying she was headed to the area of 120th and Blondo streets. Her family believes she is dead, and looked to the memorial service for some comfort.
"This is one way that we can come together and recognize our grief and share it together and hopefully move forward a step. We will continue to look for her, but this is a way for us to maybe begin to find some closure," said O'Grady's aunt, Shauna Stanzel.
More than 100 people turned out at St. Leo's Church. Some of the people who have volunteered in the numerous searches for O'Grady were in attendance.
"We can't forget that we were blessed for almost 20 years with Jessica's presence," Stanzel said.
Investigators believe O'Grady's boyfriend, Chris Edwards is responsible for her murder and disappearance. He is being held without bond in the Douglas County Corrections. Edwards maintains his innocence.
There is a $10,000 reward fund for information leading to O'Grady's body.
Monday August 7th 2006 - Defense Motions Denied
Trial set for December
http://www.wowt.com/
A judge has denied a series of motions from attorneys representing Christopher Edwards. Edwards is accused of the death of 19-year-old Jessica O'Grady.
O'Grady vanished in May and her body has not been found but prosecutors say they have a case against Edwards. Ms. O'Grady's boyfriend has been charged with Second-Degree Murder.
With the evidence collected from Edwards' home, including large amounts of what officials say is O'Grady's blood, investigators believe there is enough evidence for a conviction.
Douglas County Chief Deputy Marty Bilek says, "We feel like we have a very strong case. We have a suspect. We have a victim."
But Edwards' lawyer, Steve Lefler, says without knowing O'Grady's whereabouts he's not sure his client can receive a fair trial.
Lefler says, "Without the body how can we tell if the state's theory makes any sense. One -- she might still be alive. Number two -- how do we know how it happened."
O'Grady's loved ones say they too need to know what became of Jessica but for different reasons.
O'Grady's aunt, Shauna Stanzel, says, "Does it affect the legal proceedings? Yes it does. But that's not our primary focus. We want to find her so we can have closure as a family."
With a picture of her niece over her heart Shauna Stanzel stood outside the courtroom Friday asking for the family of the suspect to come forward with information.
"It's time for the family and friends of Chris Edwards to do the right thing and that's to let us know where she is at," Stanzel said.
A trial date has been set for December 4th. The judge told both sides Friday that there should be no reason for that trial date to be delayed.
Suspect Surrenders
Chief Deputy Marty Bilek
Edwards' Attorney Interview
Chris Edwards Surrenders
Faces criminal homicide charge
Article
Link - wowt.com - click here
The boyfriend of missing UNO student Jessica O'Grady has turned himself in
to the Douglas County Sheriff and has been charged with criminal homicide.
Miss O'Grady, a student at UNO, was last heard from on May 10. Her car was
later found in a parking lot near 144th and Center.
Sheriff's deputies have twice searched a home near 130th and Cady where
Edwards had been living at the time Jessica disappeared.
Edwards turned himself in shortly before 1:30 Friday, accompanied by Matt
Higgins, one of his attorneys. Higgins said that Edwards is innocent.
Higgins said, "Chris is not only an innocent man, he acts like an
innocent man. He's um, of course, you can imagine, he's going to be
charged with this homicide so, he's, um, not feeling so great about that
but he's confident in the system; he's confident in his lawyers and he's
confident that he will be acquitted of this charge."
While expressing his client's confidence, Higgins did add, ".I think
he's appropriately scared."
Higgins says that Edwards has complied with everything that authorities
have asked of him in the investigation.
Douglas County Chief Deputy Sheriff Marty Bilek said at a news conference
Friday afternoon, "If he wants to completely cooperate with, with our
office, we would like him to tell us the whereabouts of Jessica O'Grady
and he has not done that yet. Until he does that, I won't consider him to
be cooperating with us."
Investigators have not specified how they believe Ms. O'Grady died but
Chief Deputy Bilek said, "I can tell you that if we didn't have some
certainty that she was deceased then we wouldn't be filing some form of
homicide against Chris Edwards."
Bilek says investigators have theories about a motive in the case but
they're not publicly discussing them at this point.
He does say that with or without a body, they believe they have a strong
case.
"With the forensics evidence that's available to us today, the
forensics science, that's available to us today, the chances of having a
successful prosecution for homicide without a body is a lot greater today,
in today's society than it ever has been. I am confident," Bilek
said.
Authorities are trying to figure out what happened to
19-year-old UNO student Jessica O'Grady. Friends and family say they
haven't seen her since Wednesday May 10th, 2006.
She didn't show up for work on Friday night and her uncle, Kevin Stanzel,
says that's out of character for her.
Stanzel says, "It's not like her to run off. She would tell someone.
If not us, her close friends."
Jessica is described as being 5' 9" tall, weighing135 pounds. She has
brown hair and hazel eyes.
She was reportedly driving a gray Huyndai Accent, license plate: PEI894.
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