Yucca

On September 28, 2004, Nori Jones, a 25-year-old woman, was murdered by Brad Compher in Pocatello, Idaho. Compher was arrested in 2014, approximately 10 years after the murder. Compher was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury on March 4, 2024.^[1]

Murder

On the morning of September 28, 2004, Nori Jones was stabbed to death inside her Pole Line Road home in Pocatello.^[2]

Arrest

A man by the name of Brad Compher was arrested and charged for Jones' murder upon DNA at the scene matching him. Pocatello police officers retrieved a cigarette that had been smoked by Compher and brought it in for forensic testing.^[3]

Trial

The prosecution revealed there was a "1 in 93 trillion" chance that the DNA found at the scene could belong to someone other than Compher. The wounds found on Jones insisted she had fought back against her assailant. The first two witnesses called to the stand at trial recalled what they encountered after stepping into the house. They spotted a ring they knew belonged to Jones. A friend of Jones explained that the ring symbolized her "promise" to marry her boyfriend one day. She also mentioned that Jones wore it in an effort to deter men from approaching her in public. There were instances of harassment that these key witnesses were aware of, but had never heard of Compher at any time.^[4]

The defense was skeptical that the DNA evidence was sufficient and argued that Compher had no motive to commit the murder. They pushed an alternative theory that there was circumstantial evidence for there to be another suspect. In a questionable move, Compher's defense singled out the perpetrators of the 2006 murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart as possible suspects and had them transported to Pocatello for the trial. Neither Draper or Adamcik testified and were subsequently sent back to the Idaho Department of Correction in Kuna.^[5]

References