The start date for the trial in the 2011 murder of Evelynne Derricott will be delayed after a motion by suspect Rogelio Diaz Jr’s attorney, Edward Brass during a hearing Tuesday morning.
Diaz, 25, is charged with first-degree felony murder, first-degree felony aggravated burglary and second-degree felony theft. He pleaded not guilty to the charges during an appearance in 3rd District Court in November 2016.
Brass submitted a motion to continue to jury trial and reset the scheduling conference, which was granted by 3rd District Court Judge Robert Adkins. The scheduling conference is set for Jan. 16 at 9 a.m.
The murder trial was scheduled to begin on Jan. 17 at 9 a.m. following Tuesday’s pretrial conference. No new trial dates were set in the case.
Diaz was arrested back in May 2016 in connection with the October 2011 murder of Tooele City resident Evelynne Derricott.
Tooele City police detectives received a break in the case when they used familial DNA testing, a technique that matches samples of DNA evidence from a crime scene to relatives in the state’s DNA identification system.
DNA samples found on a hammer, believed to be the murder weapon, and on the steering wheel of Derricott’s stolen car, were a near match to a member of Diaz’s family in the state’s DNA database.
Police were able to eliminate other family members who were already in the state DNA database or outside the country at the time of Derricott’s murder.
After narrowing in on Diaz, police obtained DNA samples from a used energy drink can and work gloves that he discarded. The DNA profile from the can and gloves matched the DNA found on the hammer and steering wheel and Diaz was arrested.