BEND, Oregon (AP) - A man charged with murdering a woman in 2016 in Central Oregon where he worked as a security guard won’t face trial until late next year, a judge said Wednesday.
Deschutes County Circuit Judge Michael Adler set an Oct. 8, 2018 trial date for Edwin Lara, KTVZ reported ( https://bit.ly/2pUFQt0 ). That’s a year later than previously scheduled.
Lara is charged with killing Kaylee Sawyer, 23, of Bend on July 24. Lara was working as a security guard at Central Oregon Community College, next to Sawyer’s apartment.
After allegedly killing Sawyer and hiding her body in a rural ravine, authorities say Lara kidnapped a woman in Salem, Oregon, and took her to California where he shot and wounded a man and carjacked a vehicle with a family inside.
District Attorney John Hummel has said he will seek the death sentence.
Lara lived in Honduras until he was 11. He is a legal permanent U.S. resident and a Honduran citizen.
In a hearing Wednesday morning that Lara attended via video hookup from the county jail, Adler ruled that a “mitigation investigation” into Lara’s past is necessary, which will involve an examination of Lara’s childhood in Honduras, the Bulletin newspaper of Bend reported ( https://bit.ly/2pXr1Fs ).
Please read our comment policy before commenting.