(As soon as the trial begins or restarts from break, the above video will be LIVE from the court. You may have to refresh your browser.)
The murder trial of Lester Jones continues on Monday. Jones is accused of killing Paige Birgfeld, a single mother who secretly worked as a paid escort.
Prosecutors believe that Jones was one of Birgfeld’s clients, and that he kidnapped and killed her. Birgfeld, a resident of Grand Junction, Colorado, disappeared in June 2007. Hikers found her remains in March 2012. Jones’ cell phone records reportedly showed that a week before Birgfeld vanished, he was in the area where her body was eventually found. Jones was also one of the last to call her before she disappeared, according to investigators. Jones’ defense attorney have argued that there is no physical evidence against their client, and that Birgfeld had other customers who could have been the culprit.
Last week, one witness caused trouble after her testimony, when she looked at Jones and called him a “piece of crap killer” while she was exiting the courtroom. Commotion ensued because not all of the jurors had left the room at the time. The witness, Carol Linderholm, returned to court on Friday, when the judge ordered her to do community service as a penalty for her outburst. Luckily, the jury did not hear her comment to Jones, so the trial will continue.
Also on Friday, the jury watched video of Jones’ interview at the sheriff’s office.
This is the second trial that Jones is facing after a jury could not reach a decision in the first trial, which ended in September.
Court will resume in Grand Junction, Colorado on Monday morning at 9am Mountain Time.
LawNewz.com will provide live streaming video of the trial through its completion.
[Image via Mesa County Sheriff’s Office]
