News

Actions

Lankford murder trial moved to 2019

Posted at 2:41 AM, Dec 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-26 04:56:01-05

LEWISTON, Idaho — Mark Lankford's latest retrial on a decades-old murder has been moved to September 2019 after he fired his attorney and got a new one.

The Lewiston Tribune reports that Lankford has twice been convicted for the 1983 beating death of a Texas couple and dumping their bodies in the Idaho County backcountry.

His latest win on appeal stems from a former prosecutor failing to explain the details of a deal made with a jailed witness to Lankford's then defense attorney.

The retrial has been continued for months because Lankford keeps firing his attorneys. The original prosecutor was recused since he could be a witness at trial.

Appointed prosecutor Justin Pasket had no issue with continuing the trial.

The judge set it to last three weeks and to be tried in Canyon County, likely in Nampa.