New Kansas Attorney General to Take Over Case of Murdered Teen

Douglas County District Judge and new Kansas Attorney General, Stephen N. Six, contacted Cowley County Attorney Chris Smith concerning the prosecution of accused murderer, 24-year-old Justin Thurber, who is charged in the kidnapping and murder of 19-year-old Arkansas City teen Jodi Sanderolm in January of 2007.

Six is replacing Paul Morrison as Attorney General who was prosecuting the case with Smith.

Sanderholm disappeared Jan. 5, 2007. Her body was found in a rural area of southeast Cowley County Jan. 9 and her car was later retrieved from the bottom of the Cowley State Fishing Lake, about 11 miles from where her body was discovered.

A hearing is set to begin Wednesday, Jan. 30th in Cowley County District Court in Winfield over pretrial motions.

District Judge Jim Pringle earlier this month decided statements Thurber may have made to police should not be made public until he decides whether they are admissible at trial.
The state intends to seek the death penalty if a jury finds Thurber guilty.

In May of 2007, Sanderholm's friends and family took the stand in Thurber's preliminary hearing including her mother, Cindy who took the stand first and talked about the last time she spoke with her daughter and her concern when Jodi wouldn't answer the phone.

"I waited about 10 minutes and called again, still no answer," she said.
"Well, I thought maybe she's blowing drying her hair. So I waited about 10 minutes and called again."
Sanderholm's friends and members of the dance team she was on also took the stand, testifying a blue car followed other dancers just days before she disappeared.

Lori Legleiter, a dance mate of Sanderholm, took the stand and testified that she got off work at the Sirloin Stockade in Arkansas City about 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2, and noticed a light blue car drive by the restaurant several times as she was leaving.
The car followed Legleiter when she left. "It felt like something strange was going on," she said.She later identified the man driving the car as Thurber.