RIGBY — A Rigby man is facing several charges of rape after deputies say he admitted to bringing an underage girl to his house for sex. Karter Elton Gillins, 31, is charged with four felony counts of rape where the victim is 17, and the perpetrator is more than three or more years older. According […]
Idaho Falls man pleads not guilty to homicide
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Jesse Gentle at an earlier court hearing | EastIdahoNews.com file photo
RIGBY An Idaho Falls man pleaded not guilty to killing a man at a Jefferson County home last fall.
Jesse Gentle, 21, entered the not guilty plea at his arraignment on a first-degree murder charge Monday afternoon. Gentle is accused of shooting and killing 72-year-old Merle Jay Sorensen, also of Idaho Falls, while at a relative’s house on Nov. 17, 2020.
Gentle is now scheduled to appear for a jury trial on Sept. 20 at the Jefferson County Courthouse.
Last month, Magistrate Judge Robert Crowley determined Jefferson County Prosecutors had enough evidence to advance the case to District Court after a two-day preliminary hearing. At that hearing, Gentle’s aunt, a witness of the alleged slaying, testified along with investigators.
Rigby first-degree murder case moves to district court
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Jesse Gentle, along with his attorneys R. James Archibald and John Leslie Stosich as they hear the judges decision to move the case onto trial.
RIBGY Twenty-one year old Jesse Gentle will face a first-degree murder charge in district court following a two-day preliminary hearing on Thursday and Friday.
During the hearing, Magistrate Judge Robert Crowley listened to arguments presented by the prosecution and defense regarding the killing of 72-year-old Merel Jay Sorenson in November 2020.
Following the hearing, Crowley determined there was sufficient evidence to go to trial and the case was bound over to district court. The date for a jury trial has not been set.
Witness surprises defense team with new information during murder preliminary hearing
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Jesse Gentle in court for his preliminary hearing
RIGBY The suspect accused of killing a 72-year-old man in Rigby last year appeared in court Thursday for his preliminary hearing.
Jesse Gentle, 21, is charged with first-degree murder for the death of Merle Jay Sorensen. On Thursday, prosecutors presented evidence to Magistrate Judge Robert Crowley to determine if there is sufficient cause to move the case to a trial in district court.
During the hearing, Gentle’s aunt, Tonya Stevenson, described the events she witnessed on the night of Sorensen’s death. At the time, she was living at the home where the killing occurred. During her testimony, she provided new information that was not known to Gentle’s defense team.