POCATELLO — During the third day of court testimony to determine if Brad Scott Compher will face first-degree murder charges in the 2004 killing of Nori Jones, public defenders Wednesday revealed a list of other possible suspects.

    At the top of the list of persons of interest in Jones’ death was Torey Adamcik, according to Public Defender Dave Martinez, who along with Randy Schulthies, is representing Compher.

    Adamcik and Brian Draper were convicted in the 2006 murder of their Pocatello High School classmate Cassie Jo Stoddart.

    Like Stoddart, Jones died from multiple stab wounds. Adamcik lived within 50 yards of Jones’ small white house on Poleline Road back in 2004 when she was murdered.

    During Wednesday’s questioning of Pocatello police detective Scott Long, who headed the investigation into Jones’ death, Martinez asked if officers followed up on a lead provided by Steven Roberts, an inmate who shared a cell with Adamcik at the state prison in Boise.

    Roberts contacted Pocatello police and claimed that Adamcik had confessed to killing Jones.

    After receiving that information from Roberts, Long said investigators did interview Adamcik, who denied any involvement in the Jones slaying. Long said there was nothing to connect Adamcik to the Jones murder.

    Registered sex offenders Robert Ray Spillet Junior and Lonnie Lee Haggard were also persons of interest early on in the investigation into Jones’ death.           

    Spillet, who failed a polygraph test about Jones’ murder, admitted to being infatuated with Jones, who at the time of her death worked for the Idaho Department of Employment.

    Long said a DNA sample from Spillet was among the evidence sent to Sorenson’s Laboratory in Salt Lake City for testing.

    Among the other items included for testing were a DNA sample from Jones’ boyfriend, Rio Wild, a broken necklace found at the scene, and a sexual assault kit from Jones’ autopsy.

    Also testifying Wednesday was Shawn Wiess, who represented Laboratory Corporation of America, the company that processed the original evidence in the Jones murder case in 2004.

    Wiess testified that two separate DNA profiles were developed from evidence swabs forwarded to the lab by the Idaho State Police in 2004. One profile belonged to the victim and the second profile, developed from material collected from a hand print on the outside of Jones’ window, belonged to an unknown individual.

    Wiess said he’s testified in about 195 cases in 24 states as an expert witness. He said DNA can be extracted from blood, semen, sweat and saliva.

    Pocatello police said they were able to link a single fingerprint found at the Jones murder scene to Compher in 2010.

    To get a DNA sample from Compher, police put him under surveillance.             

    Detective Theo Vanderschaaf of the Pocatello Police Department testified Wednesday that in April 2014, as he sat in his unmarked vehicle about a block and a half away from  Compher’s residence on South Third Avenue and Sutter Street, he witnessed Compher exit the residence smoking a cigarette.

    Vanderschaaf said Compher eventually tossed the cigarette butt into the street and went back inside.

    The detective said he maintained sight of the butt using binoculars and after putting on gloves, Vanderschaaf picked up the discarded cigarette and placed it in an evidence bottle.

    “It was still warm in my hand when I picked it up,” Vanderschaaf testified.

    Vanderschaaf said he then notified Long who was assisting with the surveillance.

    Long packaged the discarded butt as well as additional evidence from the 2004 murder scene — including nail clippings and scrapings, two rings from Jones’ fingers and another ring found at her house — and sent everything to be tested.

    Cynthia Hall, a DNA expert and manager of Idaho State Police Forensic Services, testified that the DNA sample extracted from Compher’s cigarette butt was a match for the unknown sample collected in 2004.

    The chance of the DNA belonging to anyone other than Compher is about one in 93 trillion, Hall said.

    On Sept. 10, 2014, Long and Bannock County Deputy Prosecutor Zach Parris, armed with the DNA reports linking Compher to the murder scene, visited Magistrate Judge Brian Murray and a warrant for Compher’s arrest was issued.

    Long said the suspect was still under surveillance when the arrest warrant was issued and officers reported that Compher was leaving his residence with a roommate.

    Before Compher could depart, Pocatello police took him inot custody.

    Compher was then transported to an interview room at the Pocatello police station and Long said when the officers read him his rights, the defendant asked for an attorney and the interview was terminated.

    Compher’s preliminary hearing is expected to finish today in the courtroom of Judge Rick Carnaroli.

    Carnaroli will then decide if there’s enough evidence for the first-degree murder charge against Compher to proceed in court.

    Bannock County Prosecutor Steve Herzog has not ruled out seeking the death penalty in the case.