More delays in Brittany Killgore murder case

Murder defendant Dorothy Maraglino was in court on April 8, represented by the fourth attorney who has been assigned to her since 22-year-old Brittany Killgore went missing two years ago.

Maraglino’s new attorney, Jane Kinsey, takes the place of Terry Zimmerman, a public defender who became Maraglino’s third attorney last December. Maraglino briefly tried to represent herself on that occasion, trying to hurry the case along, but she eventually accepted the new attorney’s counsel.

Another defendant in the case, Jessica Lopez, continues to be defended by Sloan Ostbye.

Defender Ostbye informed the judge last week that there would be more delays because she has to slog through 7345 pages of “discovery,” plus 165 DVDs of information and two terabytes of potential evidence that had been supplied by the prosecution.

The mass of information is preventing defense attorneys from meeting with San Diego County district attorney Bonnie Dumanis, according to statements by defense attorneys.

San Diego County protocol dictates that defense attorneys must meet with the district attorney before the decision is made whether or not to pursue the death penalty. It is widely speculated that prosecutor Patrick Espinoza desires to declare for the ultimate penalty in this case.

Louis Perez, 47 who continues to be advised by attorney Brad Patton, appeared in court with longer hair and beard and new reading glasses; his appearance continues to change since his first court appearance two years ago.

Perez, Maraglino, 38, and Jessica Lynn Lopez, 26, have all pleaded not guilty to kidnap, torture, and murder in the death of Brittany Killgore, 22, who was married to a Marine deployed overseas at the time of her disappearance.

Judge K. Michael Kirkman expressed the desire that attorneys should have met with the district attorney before the next scheduled court date, July 11, in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse.