Joe P. Asher
Staff Writer
A pair accused of murder made an appearance in Harlan Circuit Court on Thursday for a pre-trial proceeding.
Tim Turner, 35, of Harlan, and Rachal Osborne, 32, of Keith, are awaiting trial for their alleged involvement in the murder of Stephen Gibson.
Bridget Sounders, Osborne’s attorney, and Rebecca Lytle, attorney for Tim Turner, appeared with their clients along with Commonwealth’s Attorney Teresa Reed in front of Special Judge James Bowling to update the court on the status of the case.
Reed took the opportunity to provide the defense attorneys with some new discovery materials.
Sounder’s asked the court if it would be possible for there to be a longer period of time before the next court date to allow time to prepare.
Lytle also requested the trial date be set after the Nov.6 election, due to the fact that the commonwealth’s attorney in the case is up for re-election.
Bowling noted that due to the holidays and other special circumstances, trial dates in November can be problematic.
The attorneys settled on the date of Dec. 20 for the next pre-trial conference.
After discussing the possibility of a trial date the second week of April with the attorneys, Bowling adjourned the session.
According to previous reports, Gibson, 58, was discovered due to a well-being check at his residence at 610 South Main Street in Harlan on June 2. He was found by Harlan City Police officers.
Kentucky State Police Det. Kenny Abner is investigating the case. Previous reports state the crime is believed to have been committed on May 10, 2011.
“When we first discovered the body, we didn’t know who he was, and then the next day, through medical records, it was determined that it was Stephen Gibson,” Abner said in previous testimony.
Previous Enterprise reports state Turner and Osborne are charged with murder, first-degree robbery, kidnapping (victim death) and tampering with physical evidence.
Reach Joe P. Asher at 606-573-4510 or jasher@heartlandpublications.com
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