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Does Courtney's DNA Link Him To Wilberger?
By Anna Song
and KATU Web Staff
SEASIDE, Ore. - Court documents obtained by KATU News reveal potential DNA evidence against the man accused of murdering Brooke Wilberger.
This comes as prosecutors from all over the state gather in Seaside for a conference, including Benton County District Attorney Scott Heiser, who is involved with the Wilberger case.
Heiser would not confirm whether forensic evidence is the key link between Joel Courtney and Brooke Wilberger, but the court documents indicate that as far back as February, Corvallis police wanted and got Joel Courtney's DNA.
The court records show that on February 10, 2005, a judge in New Mexico granted Corvallis police a search warrant for Joel Patrick Courtney.
Courtney was already in custody at that point for the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of a woman near the University of New Mexico campus.
The February warrant led authorities to take DNA evidence from Courtney - his fingerprints from both hands, swabs of saliva from his mouth and various hair from his face and pubic area.
Heiser will not confirm whether the evidence was gathered to match DNA material found in a green Dodge minivan that has been described as the 'key' link connecting Courtney to the Wilberger case.
While at the conference on Wednesday, Heiser declined an on-camera interview, but told KATU News he has had several conversations with Brooke's family about their feelings on the death penalty.
Legal experts say one possibility in cases like this is to offer the defendant life in prison in exchange for information on the victim's whereabouts.
The District Attorney who prosecuted Scott Peterson in the murder of his wife, Laci, says that discussion came up in his case.
"It would have been a consideration had Scott said 'I'll do that.' I'd have had to talk to the family and basically, that would be their decision," Jim Brazelton told KATU News.
However, Scott Peterson never struck that type of a deal and a jury sentenced him to death.
As for the Wilberger case, Heiser referred us to last week's press conference to get a sense of whether her family would consider a deal of that sort.
"Our main goal remains the same - to find her and see that justice is served," Brooke's mother, Cammy Wilberger, said at that news conference