POCATELLO — The defense team for accused murderer Brad Scott Compher elicited some profound testimony during the eighth day of his trial at the Bannock County Courthouse Thursday.

Seven witnesses testified on behalf of Compher, 49, of Pocatello, who has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing 25-year-old Nori Jones to death in September 2004.

The most impactful testimony surrounded that of the brother of Jones’ landlord, who said that Compher had been to Jones’ Pole Line Road home where the murder occurred previous to her death. It was also revealed that a different potential suspect in the case had told police about a dream he had with details that closely resembled the crime scene at the home.

Prosecutors handling the case, which include Bannock County Assistant Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jonathan Radford, Chief Civil Deputy Brian Trammell and JaNiece Price, the homicide and narcotics specialist for the prosecutor’s office, rested their case on Thursday morning.

The first defense witness who was called to the stand Thursday was Robert Spillett, a different suspect whom police interviewed twice within the week after Jones’ murder.

Spillett invoked his 5th Amendment right to not answer any questions and was subsequently declared as an unavailable witness, which ultimately allowed Compher’s attorneys to question the officers who interviewed Spillett as a means of getting some of the statements Spillett made during those interviews on the record for the jury to hear.

Former Pocatello police detectives Mike Brennan and Ralph Daniels conducted those two interviews with Spillett and both took the stand Thursday.

Brennan testified that during the interviews Spillett told him that he was familiar with Jones from her job at the Idaho Department of Labor and that she helped him write a resume to find employment.

During the second interview, Spillett stated that he knew Jones because his aunt knew her through church, said Brennan, adding that Spillett told him that he had asked Jones out to breakfast or dinner on one occasion while meeting with her at her workplace.

Brennan spoke about Spillett telling him that he wanted to one day marry Jones and that he had sexual fantasies about her.

Both Brennan and Daniels testified about Spillett recounting a dream that he had after Jones’ murder in which some of the details closely matched the actual murder scene, including Spillett describing Jones’ sheets as being blue, her walls being green, that she was naked and that she had cuts on her leg.

The former police detectives also testified that elements of Spilletts’ dream changed between both interviews. During one interview, for example, Spillett said he dreamed that Jones was not naked but was instead wearing a white leotard.

Additionally, Spillett told the police detectives during one interview that he dreamed Jones was found on the ground and during the second interview he said he had dreamed that she was on the bed with her knees raised and pointed to the ceiling, according to the former police detectives’ testimony.

During Daniels’ testimony, two photos of Spillett’s hands taken when he was interviewed were entered into evidence that showed a gash to the top of his hand and a cut to the palm. Daniels said that Spillett credited the wounds to being injured while working on a car’s transmission, something Daniels was able to corroborate through Spillett’s brother.

It was the testimony of Doug Coffin, the brother of Jones’ landlord at the time of her death, that seemed to be the most important for Compher’s defense.

Coffin’s testimony seemed to be a slight reprieve from the previous seven days, which covered a significant amount of physical evidence and oftentimes included graphic photos or descriptions.

Coffin’s first statement drew laughter from attorneys, jurors, those in the gallery and even a slight smirk from the 6th District judge handling the case, Javier Gabiola, when he introduced himself as “the obviously better looking brother” of Kevin Coffin, Jones’ landlord.

Doug said that he actually worked with Compher prior to Jones’ death, describing him as a strong man and hard worker.

Doug explained that he kept a car, some lumber and other odds and ends on the property where Jones lived and that on one occasion he took Compher with him to help load up some railroad ties there. Doug described the weather as being relatively warm and said Compher told him that he was thirsty but Doug didn’t bring any water with him so he suggested that Compher go to Jones’ house and ask for a glass of water.

Doug said that he observed Compher head toward the home but did not see him enter or make contact with anyone outside or inside the home. While there was no particular testimony linking this previous visit to Jones’ home, it appeared to leave the door open for Compher’s attorneys to argue during closing statements that the Compher handprint left on the rear window of the home where Compher’s DNA was located had been left during this earlier visit and not during her murder.

Doug said that Compher looked much thinner in court Thursday than he did in 2004, describing Compher’s physical appearance now by saying, “He looks like he has to run around the shower to get wet,” which again drew laughter from most of those in the courtroom.

At the conclusion of Doug’s testimony, he approached the defense table, which included Compher and his attorneys — Chief Deputy John Scott Andrew of the Bannock County Public Defender’s Office, contracted attorney Gary Edward Proctor of Baltimore and Bannock County Deputy Public Defender Rilie Fry.

Doug then reached his hand out and mentioned Compher by his former first name, Ralph, and shook his hand, stating, “You take care Ralph.”

Sometime after Jones’ murder, Compher changed his name from Ralph Roy Compher to Brad Scott Compher.

Pocatello police officer Matt Harris was also called back to the stand Thursday in a defense attempt to impeach statements made by Jones’ neighbor George Raatz during a previous part of the trial.

Harris interviewed Raatz in 2014 at the Pocatello Police Department, during which Raatz said that he observed a person tampering with the only exterior light at the home about three or four days before she was murdered.

Harris on Thursday said that Raatz told him that he observed the person was driving a white maintenance truck and that he was sure it was not the landlord Kevin Coffin and that he did not recognize the person. Previously, Raatz testified that the driver of the truck could have been Kevin.

Former Pocatello police detective Mike Stone was the last witness to testify at Compher’s trial. He spoke about being the primary person who was receiving processed evidence from the crime scene to place in the temporary evidence trailer that was used to assist in the investigation.

Stone said that he documented approximately 140 pieces of evidence, adding that he only transported about 78 items to the Idaho State Police crime lab in Meridian for testing.

Stone also testified about executing a search warrant at Spillett’s home as part of the investigation. While serving the warrant, a white maintenance truck was found parked in front of Spillett’s home and was reportedly registered to his brother, Stone said.

Further, while serving the warrant a phone book was found inside Spilletts’ home that included an entry for Jones and her Pole Line Road address, Stone said.

Following Stone’s testimony, Compher’s defense team rested.

Torey Adamcik and Brian Draper will ultimately not be testifying in the case. Adamcik and Draper were both convicted of first-degree murder for the September 2006 stabbing death of their Pocatello High School classmate Cassie Jo Stoddard.

Prosecutors and Compher’s attorneys on Friday will work with Gabiola to finalize the instructions for the jury and closing statements are slated for Monday, followed by the jury’s deliberation.

Compher did not take the stand to aid in his own defense.

If he is convicted of the felony first-degree murder charge, Compher faces up to life in prison.