SALINE CO.— Assistant state’s attorney Jason Olsen wrapped up the state’s case this morning.
Roger Dale Young, 63, is on trial for attempting to hire an undercover agent to kill his wife.
First thing this morning Olsen put the “hit man”, who was actually a state police undercover agent, on the stand.
The agent said he was contacted by local State Police Investigator David Blazier who was looking for an out of the area face to pose as a killer for hire.
The agent was instrumental in setting up an elaborate video and audio system in a panel van that later carried him and confidential source Jimmy Koker to the Eldorado American Legion where they picked up Young.
The video clearly shows Young sitting in one of the rear passenger captain’s chairs answering his phone and directing the hit man how to get to the hospital where his wife Linda worked.
At Young’s direction, the trio then took a ride into the country to Young’s residence along the way talking about the best place and way to kill Linda Young.
Once at the house Young took Koker and the hit man on a tour of his barn and then his home pointing out what he called collateral, because the $5,000 pay off for the murder might be delayed while Young waited on insurance to pay off.
Scroggins cross-examines agent
Murder for Hire suspect Roger Young, right, is shown here with his defense attorney Morgan Scroggins flowing this morning’s testimony.
Defense attorney Morgan Scroggins, with very little to work with, cross-examined the agent focusing on Koker, for the most part.
Scroggins hammered on the fact that none of the officers involved knew exactly how much, if any, Young had been drinking.
“And you don’t know what was said between Mr. Koker and Mr. Young while you were waiting in the van for them to come out of the American Legion, do you?” Scroggins asked.
“No,” the agent responded.
“Because you were not there, correct?”
“Correct.”
“And the down payment was your suggestion, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, as furtherance of the…”
“Just answer the question,” Scroggins spat.
“Yes.”
Scroggins has as much telegraphed that his defense strategy for his client is that it was Koker who pushed the idea of killing Mrs. Young and that Roger Young was simply going along with his drinking buddy.
The unspoken motive, with Scroggins theory would be that it was for money.
But that falls apart and begs the question: Then why did Koker go to the police unless it was, consistent with his testimony, that it was Roger Young’s idea and it was Roger who kept pushing for Koker to find a hit man.
Olsen on re-direct
On re-direct examination, Olsen clarified.
“Mr. Scroggins suggested that you solicited the manner of death from Mr. Young,” Olsen began. “Did you ask how he wanted it done?”
“Absolutely,” the agent responded.
“And what was his response?”
“He said to make it look like an accident and make the [Ford] Explorer gone as well so he could collect on the insurance of both his wife and the vehicle.”
After playing the videotape, which looks near impossible for the defense to overcome, showing the drive and walk around Young’s residence (which will be detailed in tonight’s post) Olsen rested the prosecution’s case.
Inspector Blazier back on the stand
The defense’s first witness was Inspector David Blazier who ran the investigation
Scroggins again tried to focus on Koker coming to the police after only a month and a half of Roger Young asking him to find someone to kill his wife.
The angle appears that Scroggins wants to set up a sense that the entire ordeal was just bar talk.
However, Blazier, as backed up by testimony from Koker, said that Roger Young had been digging at Koker for nearly a year and half and that it was ONLY in the last month and a half, before Koker contacted authorities, that Koker became concerned that Young was serious about having his wife killed.
“He said it was only in the previous month and a half that Roger had been talking about killing his wife, isn’t that correct?” Scroggins asked Insp. Blazier.
“No,” Blazier said. “He said it had been going on for more than a year and it was only recently that he began to believe Roger was serious and that’s why he contacted us.”
“But your first meeting with Mr. Koker you didn’t record.”
“No.”
“And you know that Mr. Koker is a convicted felon.”
“Yes.”
“And in your mind there is no way Mr. Koker could have made this up?”
“That’s why we continued the investigation [to find out],” Blazier said.
Then it was Olsen’s turn to cross examin.
“After the interview on March 29, 2012 you are not saying you had enough for an arrest is that correct?” Olsen asked.
“That’s correct,” Blazier said.
“But you had enough to go forward with the investigation?”
“That’s correct.”
“And that was in part based on Mr. Koker telling you that Roger Young had said, ‘I have been telling you for a fucking year that I wanted this shit done.’ Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
Young expected to testify
There have been rumors that trial could wrap up as early as today, definitely tomorrow with the case then being handed to the jury for deliberations.
Testimony resumes this afternoon and it is believed that Roger Young will take the stand.
All the details will be brought to you later this evening.