DELAY IN OLSEN PUNISHMENT PHASE RE-TRIAL
A re-trial of the punishment phase for a convicted Bryan murderer has been delayed again.
(Brazos Co. mugshot)
The start of Christian Olsen's re-trial is now scheduled for May 11, with jury selection expected to take several weeks.
In 2009, Olsen received the death penalty for the 2007 murder of his neighbor, Etta Jean Westbrook.
Olsen's conviction was upheld. However, an appeals court ordered a second punishment phase because a defense witness the appellate court judges believe should have been allowed to testify wasn't.
Last year, a new state law went into effect requiring DNA analysis of any biological evidence in any death penalty case. The need for continued testing has led to the delay in Olsen's case.
In June 2007, Olsen was arrested for killing Westbrook. Two weeks after his arrest for that murder, he was charged with the murder of his girlfriend's mother, Geraldine Lloyd, who was found buried in the backyard of her home.
Olsen was convicted of the Westbrook murder. His girlfriend, Kelly Sifuentez, took a plea deal on a solicitation of capital murder charge and received 30 years in prison in the death of her mother.