Wykert murder trial set for July 13

Chillicothe attorney Joshua Smith has less than two weeks left to prepare his defense for the trial of accused murderer Kenneth Wykert.

During his penultimate pre-trial hearing Monday, Wykert waived his right to a jury trial in favor of a bench trial prompting presiding Nodaway County Judge Roger Prokes to set a July 13 trial date.

Wykert’s decision to waive his right to a jury trial comes nearly a year after authorities recovered the body of Cameron mother Leah Dawson near a home he occupied. As previously reported by the Citizen-Observer, according to a probable cause affidavit regarding Wykert’s charges of second-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse without notifying authorities, multiple witnesses both inside and outside of the DeKalb County Jail alleged Wykert admitted to murdering Dawson or expressed the intent to murder her.

READ MORE IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION OF THE CAMERON CITIZEN-OBSERVER, ON STORE SHELVES THURSDAY.