Trial delayed for man accused of 2010 slaying

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) – A judge has delayed the trial of man accused of killing a Peru State College student.

The judge granted the defense request Friday for 38-year-old Joshua Keadle but didn’t set a new date.

Keadle’s attorney had asked for more time to prepare.

The trial had been scheduled to begin Sept. 16. Keadle has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in the disappearance and presumed death of a 19-year-old Tyler “Ty” Thomas. Thomas disappeared Dec. 3, 2010, after leaving a party near the southeast Nebraska campus.

The state issued a death certificate for Thomas in 2013, even though her body has never been found. Keadle is serving a 15- to 20-year prison sentence for the 2008 rape of a 15-year-old girl.

His murder trial has been moved to Gage County from Nemaha County.