10/5/2010
Concord, New Hampshire – On October 13, jury selection will start for the murder trial of the home invasion that happened a year ago.
Superior Court Judge Gillian Abramson met with the lawyers for both the defense and the prosecution to set a schedule and to discuss last minute issues.
The now 18 year old Steven Spader, and Christopher Gribble, were accused of hacking to death Kimberly Cates, who was 42 years old at that time the crime happened. It was in her bedroom where she was killed.
Jaimie Cates, Kimberly’s 11 year old daughter, suffered from serious injuries, but survived the incident by pretending to be dead. She was the one who called for help using a cellular phone after the teen perpetrators left the house. Another teenager was charged as one of the participants, by concealing the evidence of the crime.
The scheduled start of trial for Spader is October 25 but could still be postponed if jury selection would take more time.
Potential witnesses to the trial are Jaimie Cates, her father David Cates, and three other defendants who agreed or already have pleaded guilty, and will testify against Gribble and Spader.
According to prosecutors, the Cates home was chosen due to its remote location.
Gribble’s trial is set to begin on February 2011.
