The hard times destroy probable cause in this case, and Mr. Donald Bartlette is simply not the murderer. Michael Jennings testified during Friday's hearing to the findings of his investigation, which he said pointed to Donald "D. Bartlette, 45, faces up to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if found guilty of the Class AA felony murder.
Jennings testified that surveillance footage, witness statements regarding their conversations with Bartlette, and Bartlette's interview with law enforcement all supported the belief that Bartlette was the murderer.
During his testimony and cross-examination, Jennings spoke of an approximate β but not exact, due to his inability to recollect the specific times β timeline of events. He said surveillance footage showed Bartlette and Kiehl entering Kiehl's apartment at p. Finally, according to the timeline presented, he returned to the apartment and peered inside before leaving the building entirely at around p. Authorities were later called to the scene and, despite life-saving measures, Kiehl was pronounced dead at the hospital.
An autopsy revealed his cause of death was blunt force head injury, and the manner of death was homicide. Gereszek questioned whether Jennings recalled when Kiehl called a woman that night. Jennings said he didn't remember the exact times that calls were placed, but acknowledged it was possible Kiehl spoke on the phone with the woman after p. Bartlette's not the murderer," Gereszek said.
Bartlette would have left that apartment β if he is the murderer. Jennings responded that it can take time for someone to succumb to their wounds, but acknowledged it would have been very difficult β considering the severity of Kiehl's injuries β for him to speak on the phone afterward.
