COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa. (AP) - A jury trial is scheduled for February for a man accused of killing his step-sister in Iowa nearly 22 years ago.
The Council Bluffs Nonpareil reports that an attorney for Matt W. Kennedy entered a not guilty plea on his behalf on Friday for a charge of first-degree murder. Court records show the trial will begin Feb. 2. Kennedy remains jailed on $1 million bond.
Kimberly Ratliff’s body was found inside her car on Jan. 12, 1999, in Council Bluffs. She had been missing for more than three days.
Police say Ratliff’s throat had been slashed.
Kennedy, now 52, was arrested in October. An arrest affidavit says advancements in DNA technology enabled police to link him to the killing.
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