Arizona Public Radio | Your Source for NPR News
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Detective: Evidence That Slain Girl Was Sexually Assaulted

A police detective has testified in a court hearing for a man accused of killing 8-year-old Bullhead City girl two years ago that there was evidence the victim was sexually assaulted.

The Kingman Daily Miner and the Mohave Valley Daily News report that detective Brandon Grasse testified Friday during a Mohave County Superior Court hearing in the case of Justin James Rector.

Prosecutors say they plan to seek the death penalty if Rector is convicted of first-degree murder in the September 2014 killing of Isabella "Bella" Grogan-Cannella. Rector is also charged with kidnapping, child abuse and abandonment of a dead body.

Judge Lee Jantzen ruled during the hearing that prosecutors had established probable cause to seek a death sentence if Rector is convicted of murder.

Related Content