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exas authorities may reopen 25-year-old slaying caseSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Texas authorities are considering reopening the slaying 25 years ago of two Mormon missionaries.Robert Elmer Kleasen, now 67, was convicted and sentenced to execution for the Oct. 28, 1974, murder of Mark Fischer, 19, of Milwaukee. Fischer’s companion in the Austin, Texas, mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gary Darly, 20, of Simi Valley. Calif., also was killed.The missionaries had gone to have dinner with Kleasen in his trailer behind a rendering plant west of Austin and were never seen again. Police suspected the bodies were disposed of at the rendering plant,Investigators searched Kleasen’s trailer and found Fischer’s bloody wristwatchand his missionary name tag, which had a bullet hole. Kleasen was convicted, but an appeals court invalidated the search warrant that uncovered the evidence. He was freed and prosecutors declined to reopen the case.Now prosecutors in Austin say it may be time to reopen the case.“We are looking at what evidence is available to us after this long period of time, and what is left that has not been ruled inadmissible,” said Rosemary Lehmberg, assistant district attorney for Travis County. “We are investigating whether new technology will help us in any possible retrial.”Kleasen is in custody in England where he faces sentencing April 17 on four weapon charges to which he has pleaded guilty.On Monday, British police arrested Kleasen for breaching his bail agreement by allegedly attempting to flee the country. Later in the day, a magistrate released him on the condition that he report to police every day until his court date.Kleasen was served a deportation order last October that is to be enforced when the case against him is concluded.Ken Driggs, an Atlanta attorney who is writing a book about Kleasen, was skeptical about the possibility of reopening the Texas case.“If I were Kleasen’s (lawyer), the first motion I would file would be to preclude reopening the case on due process grounds,” he said Tuesday. “There’s a huge problem. (Kleasen) has a right to speedy trial.”
Newspaper Details
Port Arthur News
Port Arthur, Texas, US
Thu, Apr 13, 2000
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Jared T.
NA, NA 14 Aug 2023
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