Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Friday, September 05, 2008

Judge won't dismiss charges in Janesville killings

JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) — A judge has refused to dismiss charges against a man accused of killing a family of three in Janesville.

Attorneys for James Koepp argued the criminal complaint against him is thin, there wasn't enough evidence produced at his preliminary hearing to continue and Koepp should have been allowed to have a DNA analyst explain technical jargon during the hearing.

But Rock County Circuit Judge Alan R. Bates rejected those claims and denied the request to dismiss charges.

Koepp is accused of killing Danyetta Lentz, her 17-year-old daughter, Nicole, and her 14-year-old son, Scott, in their Janesville trailer home in January 2007.

Prosecutors say DNA in blood on Koepp's clothes tied him to the deaths. He has pleaded not guilty.

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