HARRISONVILLE, Mo. — A push for the full disclosure of evidence in the Kylr Yust murder trial may be ending.
Yust is accused of murdering Jessica Runions and Kara Kopetsky in separate incidents years apart.
One issue is the potentially problematic involvement of Kansas City, Missouri, police officer Joshua Meierer.
Court records indicate Meierer may have had an inappropriate sexual relationship with one of the victim’s family members and harassed one of Yust’s former girlfriends.
The defense deposed Meierer about it in July.
He's also been accused of investigating the case for 10 years, even though the Belton Police Department and his superiors at the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department told him not to do it.
Now, after a court order, Meierer must turn over his cellphone on Wednesday.
It will be examined for texts, emails, phone calls, videos and whatever else can be extracted from it.
According to court records, Meierer’s phone accidentally fell into a water cooler before the court order to turn it over.
Yust’s attorneys are hoping Meierer transferred his data to his new cell phone.
Yust’s attorneys also claim there are multiple issues with lost or missing evidence.
Prosecutors acknowledged in court Monday some evidence either doesn’t exist or can’t be found.
Kara Kopetsky was first reported missing in 2007. Nine years later in 2016, Jessica Runions went missing.
The two girls’ bodies were found in a remote wooded area in Cass County in 2017.
Because the case has gone on for more than a decade, a couple of Belton detectives have since retired.
They’re scheduled to be deposed before the trial to help clear up evidence issues.
Once the case goes to trial, jurors will be chosen from St. Charles County near St. Louis at an arena, then brought to Cass County for the trial.
But first, the remaining evidence or discovery issues are expected to be addressed at a hearing Wednesday.
The judge at Monday’s hearing said the next step is to set a trial date.
He scheduled a hearing for Sept. 15 for that purpose.
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Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the 41 Action News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015.
