Hearing for man accused of killing 12-year-old continued
WAYNESBURG – A pre-trial hearing for the Fayette County man charged with killing 12-year-old Gabrielle Miranda Bechen that was scheduled for next week has been continued to allow the defense more time to prepare. According to Greene County Public Defender Harry Cancelmi, the motion was filed to postpone the Wednesday morning hearing for Jeffery Martin, 49, of New Geneva, because of the seriousness of the case and the time needed to prepare. This is the second time the pre-trial hearing has been postponed for that purpose, Cancelmi said. As of press time, no new date for the pre-trial hearing had been scheduled.
The hearing, which allows for the raising of all pre-trial motions, includes efforts by the defense to suppress evidence and move the trial out of the county, according to First Assistant District Attorney Linda Chambers.
Among the pre-trial motions are claims that Martin, who was arrested on charges that he sexually assaulted and killed the Dunkard Township girl in June, was abused, threatened and coerced by officials during a police investigation. After a five-day search for the girl, Martin led authorities Bechen’s body in a shallow grave on a horse farm near her home on Presock Road where Martin worked.
He was charged with homicide, aggravated assault and four counts of tampering with evidence. Additional charges of rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, sexual assault and abuse of a corpse were filed in August after an autopsy revealed that the child had been sexually assaulted around the time of her death.
According to Chambers, the motion, which was filed Monday, will allow the defense to secure additional witnesses. Martin remains in jail during the process, Chambers said.
Chambers said efforts will be made to reschedule the hearing as soon as possible.
For her part, Chambers said she would need to contact the 16 witnesses for the prosecution, including several FBI agents, to confirm their availability for a new date. It was a process she went through when the pre-trial hearing was first postponed late last year.
“I was ready to go in December. I was ready to go for next week and I’ll be ready to go when it’s rescheduled,” Chambers said.
Chambers said it is typical for continuances in such cases.
“We all want to make sure everything is done properly,” she said.
However, Chambers believes the rescheduled date will come sooner than when it was postponed for over a month after December’s continuance.
“We all want to get this thing moving,” she said.