Klein trial in murder of Susan Kersten set for next spring

Steven Klein, arrested nearly a year ago in the 1995 killing of Iowa City mother Susan Kersten, won't go to trial until next spring.

During a brief hearing Friday afternoon, Klein's attorneys said they were still going through evidence, hiring expert witnesses and taking depositions.

'Discovery, as a whole, is still ongoing,” said Quint Meyerdirk, one of Klein's attorneys.

Klein, 55, is accused of killing Kersten, a 38-year-old mother of four. Her body was found in her car in a farm field southeast of Iowa City on Sept. 24, 1995. It was severely burned, but authorities said Kersten died from several blows to her head.

Klein was a person of interest early on in the investigation, but was not arrested until last July.

His arrest came after a visit from the cable television program Cold Justice, which investigates cold murder cases with local authorities. Klein was arrested on July 17, 2015, 10 days after TV crews arrived in Iowa City.

Assistant Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmerman Smith did not resist the defense's motion for a continuance. Judge Chad Kepros agreed that 'good cause” was shown for an extension on the trial and agreed with Meyerdirk's request to set a firm trial date.

Attorneys on both sides of the case agreed that late March or early April would be a feasible date for the trial. They estimated the trial could take three weeks to complete, prompting Kepros to look into setting aside four weeks for the proceedings.

Kepros said he would schedule a status conference for December to check on the status of trial preparations, but advised the attorneys they should plan on sticking to whatever trial date he sets for the spring.

'This will not be a date that will be easily moved,” he said.

Klein faces one count of first-degree murder. If convicted of that offense, he would serve a mandatory life sentence.