Prosecutors are expected to learn in a few weeks when they will try Bobby Lee Bledsoe, 46, for the 1985 stabbing death of an elderly El Reno man.
Assistant Canadian County District Attorney Paul Hesse said he and Bledsoe's attorney have an April 28 date in district court to discuss Bledsoe's case.
The meeting is with Gary Miller, who will be sworn in March 12 as Canadian County district judge. Gov. Brad Henry named Miller to succeed District Court Judge Edward Cunningham, who has retired.
“I expect to get a trial date then,” Hesse said, referring to the April 28 meeting.
Bledsoe was charged June 19, 2008, with the stabbing death of Clarence Evans, 95. The wheelchair-bound man was found dead in his home in the 500 block of South Hadden after he apparently foiled a break-in.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents compared a sample of Bledsoe's DNA taken when he was in prison, with DNA evidence found in Evans' home. That evidence led to Bledsoe's arrest 23 years after the killing.
Bledsoe's preliminary hearing was held Nov. 4, 2008, and he was ordered to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder.
On Dec. 6, 2008, prosecutors announced they were seeking the death penalty against Bledsoe. The defendant is being represented by a court-appointed attorney, Gary Henry, who is with the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System.