McCOOK, Neb. (AP) — Amended charges filed in the death of a 14-year-old McCook girl indicate she was sexually assaulted before her body was sent ablaze.
Twenty-year-old Stathis Kirkpatrick, of Bartley, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in the death of Kailee Clapp, whose burned body was found the evening of Jan. 21, 2011, in a Bartley cemetery. She had been reported missing that morning from her McCook home.
The amendment filed Tuesday in Red Willow County District Court indicates the killing was carried out in conjunction with a sex assault.
Kirkpatrick had originally been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial but the judge later found him competent. His attorneys have filed paperwork indicating they’ll pursue an insanity defense.