Estherville, Iowa — Resistance has been filed to the defense’s motion for a new trial in the case of an Estherville teen who is accused of killing another teen, also from Estherville.
Legal counsel for 19-year old Lee Christensen says Christensen’s Iowa and US Constitutional rights to a fair trial and due process of law were violated in the trial due to a number of factors.
Assistant Iowa Attorney General Coleman McAllister, who is the prosecutor in the case, has filed the resistance motion to the new trial and polling the jury. He says he will file a supplement to the motion when he is finished with another murder trial.
Christensen was being tried for the June 2015 murder of 19-year old Thomas Bortvit of Estherville.
The court has yet to rule on the motions.
Christensen’s sentencing on the 2nd Degree Murder Charge had been set for 9:30 am on Friday, September 16th, in Emmet County District Court at Estherville. 2nd Degree Murder is a Class B Felony, and is punishable by up to 50 years in prison.
