Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.
PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. — In a setback for Douglas County’s embattled CSI director, evidence from the 2003 Brendan Gonzalez murder case will be allowed during Dave Kofoed’s trial.
Kofoed is charged with felony tampering with evidence in connection with the 2006 slayings of a couple near Murdock, Neb,
Special prosecutor Clarence Mock hopes to use the 2003 case to prove that Kofoed had a pattern of planting and manufacturing blood evidence.
Cass County District Judge Randall Rehmeier ruled Friday that evidence from the 2003 case would be admissable during the bench trial, which is scheduled to begin Monday.
Last week, two DNA experts from the Serological Research Institute in California testified during a pretrial hearing that the circumstances of Kofoed’s discovery of Brendan’s blood DNA appeared to defy reasonable scientific logic.
Kofoed produced a perfect match to Brendan’s blood from two pieces of filter paper he submitted for testing at the University of Nebraska Medical Center DNA lab from an outdoor Bellevue trash bin.
Kofoed’s finding corroborated a June 2003 confession from Ivan Henk. At the time, Kofoed and his crime lab already had collected samples of Brendan’s blood during a search of the boy’s home after his January 2003 disappearance. Kofoed also testified this week that he drove back to Brendan’s house in Plattsmouth to collect more blood evidence about a week later.
Brendan’s remains have never been found, and Mock argues there’s a good chance Henk never dumped the body into the Bellevue trash bin.
On other matters Friday, the judge appointed Steve Lefler as Kofoed’s attorney, meaning that Lefler will be paid $70 per hour during the trial, which may last three weeks. Kofoed had hired Lefler as his private attorney but has been unable to pay Lefler.
Lefler filed a request earlier this week to be allowed to withdraw from the case. Lefler also represented Kofoed in an earlier federal trial. Kofoed was acquitted in that case, which was prompted by the same 2006 homicide case.
Kofoed testified Friday that he currently owes Lefler about $37,000 in legal bills, plus he owes another $13,000 in legal fees from a custody fight.
Contact the writer:
444-1056, john.ferak@owh.com
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
