Additional Charges Added Against Justin Thurber in Jodi Sanderholm Murder Case
Prosecutors have added an additional “aggravated sodomy” charge against Justin Thurber in the death of 19 year old Jodi Sanderholm.
The charge is aggravated criminal sodomy. The new charge will be added to the previous charges of aggravated kidnapping, rape and capital murder, according to Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison and Cowley County Attorney Chris Smith.
Smith said this morning that some evidence had come back that demonstrated to them that the additional charge needed to be brought.
“It was something we thought, but we just wanted to make sure we had the evidence to sustain the charge,” he said. “It’s another charge to go with in what we believe happened to Miss Sanderholm.”
This additional charge will allow the prosecution to go after the death penalty against Thurber. A sentence that he justly deserves.
Smith said the new charge was an “aggravating charge” and in the capital murder statute, if a person commits a murder while engaged in a rape or aggravated criminal sodomy, it allows the state to make it a death-eligible case if prosecutors choose that route.
He said the state already had that option with the rape charge but this would give them another option. (Ark City.net)