Santa Ana : Hearing on Dismissal Will Delay Kraft Case

While lawyers in the Randy Steven Kraft case were arguing in court this week whether to delay his July 6 trial on charges of mass murder, the 4th District Court of Appeal made it a moot point.

On Thursday, the Santa Ana appellate court agreed to hold a hearing on a defense request for dismissal of six slayings that Kraft is accused of committing in Oregon. Superior Court Judge James K. Turner, who will be Kraft’s trial judge, had turned down that request, which led to the appeal.

While the appellate court ruling had nothing to do with the issue of whether Kraft’s trial should be delayed, it halted all proceedings until the appellate court issues a decision after the Oct. 20 hearing. That will automatically give the Kraft lawyers part of the delay they had sought.

Kraft, 42, of Long Beach, was arrested on May 14, 1983, after California Highway Patrol officers stopped him for a traffic violation and found a dead Marine in his car. Kraft is accused of 37 murders, including 16 in Orange County. But county prosecutors already have informed the court that they plan to use the other 21 at his trial.

Kraft’s attorneys, however, argue that Oregon authorities are denying them the right to independently examine the physical evidence there. Because of that, they argue, those six cases should be barred from use in the case.

If he is found guilty, Kraft could be sentenced to death.