James C. Koepp during his Rock County Court House appearance at a preliminary hearing in the triple homicide.
JANESVILLE — A two-week trial in October is set for accused triple-murderer James Koepp, though it could be delayed until January depending on when the defense can submit expert analysis.
Koepp, 50, appeared in Rock County Court on Wednesday afternoon for a motion hearing. He is charged in the January 2007 slayings of Danyetta Lentz and her teenage children, Nicole and Scott.
The trial date is dependent on when assistant public defender Walter Isaacson can provide prosecutors with information from an expert to allow enough time for review before trial.
The court made no orders but discussed several motions including:
-- Change of venue. Isaacson is seeking a change of venue because the amount of media coverage would make it impossible for Koepp to get a fair trial with jurors from Rock County, Isaacson argued.
He presented Judge Alan Bates and District Attorney David O'Leary with a box of newspapers and CDs of radio and television broadcasts.
-- DNA analysis. O'Leary said the defense presented him with a statistical analysis of the DNA analysis that prosecutors already have tested, but didn't provide a name of who did the report or an explanation of what it means.
O'Leary wants to know what underlying assumptions were drawn from the analysis.
-- Previous cases. O'Leary is seeking to introduce evidence from three prior cases involving Koepp to help establish proof of plan, motive and intent, he said.
A deadline of May 6 was set for responses to the motions. Koepp next will be in court on June 30.