Trial delayed again in Kennewick grandmother’s slaying

The trial for a Connell woman charged with taking a 69-year-old grandmother from her home and killing her later has been pushed back into 2018.

Theresa L. Wiltse, 50, told a judge on Thursday that she agreed with the request for a nearly four-month delay.

She now is set to face a Benton County Superior Court jury on Jan. 22.

The decision comes two weeks after attorney Michael Prince took over the case, replacing Sam Swanberg who’s been appointed to the Superior Court bench. Prince will work with lawyer Caleb DiPeso on the case.

On Thursday, Prince said he has received a lot of reports and other paperwork from Swanberg.

“Given the complexity of the case and also the severity of the charges,” he said, the defense attorneys need time to review the evidence so they can sufficiently be prepared for trial.

Prosecutor Andy Miller reiterated that there is some frustration with the delay, but said he knows the state would lose on appeal if the defense was forced to stick with the Oct. 2 trial date.

He added that Randy Harris, the husband of victim Sandra Harris, is a “wonderfully patient man” who understands the reason behind the request.

Sandra Harris called her husband on Nov. 18 to say she’d been kidnapped from their Kennewick home and the suspects wanted $250,000.

Her body was found two days later along Coffin Road in rural Benton County. She had been shot several times.

Investigators have not revealed a motive for the killing.

Wiltse is charged with aggravated first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Trial delayed again in Kennewick grandmother’s slaying."