PORT ANGELES — A woman accused of assisting her boyfriend in the October murder of Jennifer Pimentel is now being investigated for two counts of witness tampering for allegedly trying to cover up the death of the 27-year-old developmentally disabled woman.
Kendell K. Huether, 25, is charged with first-degree rendering criminal assistance to Kevin A. Bradfield, 22, in the strangulation of Pimentel.
Police alleged that Bradfield strangled Pimentel at Huether’s Port Angeles residence, then disposed of the body with Huether’s assistance in a wooded area near the Hood Canal Bridge in East Jefferson County with his girlfriend’s children present.
Bradfield faces a second-degree murder charge with an exceptional sentence that would give the court the option of imposing life in prison should he be convicted.
Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ann Lundwall on Friday said she intends to file two counts of witness tampering after a follow-up investigation by Port Angeles revealed that two witnesses came forward to say Huether told them to say they saw Pimentel with a male in a silver Jeep after her disappearance.
Both witnesses told police they made false statements about seeing Pimentel alive at the request of Huether and Bradfield — before they knew that Pimentel was dead — after her disappearance, according to a supplemental motion for determination of probable cause.
Appearing by phone in a status hearing Friday, defense attorney Karen Unger told Clallam County Superior Court Judge S. Brooke Taylor that she was not prepared to defend against new charges.
“I haven’t spoken to my client about it,” Unger said.
“She doesn’t know anything about it.”
A judge will determine whether there is probable cause to add the witness-tampering charges to Huether’s case when Huether makes her next court appearance Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Meanwhile, Lundwall on Nov. 22 filed notice of intent to consume DNA evidence in both Huether and Bradfield’s cases.
Lundwall said there isn’t enough DNA material — swabs taken from Pimentel’s neck — for state and defense experts to test.
“There simply would not be enough left over,” Lundwall said.
“So I’m putting the parties on notice that this particular testing will consume the sample.”
Taylor said the defense will have the option of having its own expert present when the testing is done at a State Patrol crime lab.
The defense has yet to designate a DNA expert.
Bradfield’s lawyer, Loren Oakley of Clallam Public Defender, suggested that the defense in both cases hire a common DNA expert.
Oakley said he has not received all the discovery in Bradfield’s case and therefore was not prepared to go to trial as originally scheduled Monday.
Taylor asked Lundwall if the State Patrol crime lab provided any indication as to when the testing would be done.
“Right now, it’s on hold because they need permission in order to consume the sample,” Lundwall said.
Lundwall said she did not know how long the testing will take.
“I do think we need to provide defense council with a reasonable amount of time in which to retrieve their own expert and have that person available,” Taylor said.
A status hearing in the Bradfield case has been set for Friday at 9 a.m., during which time the court will consider rescheduling the trial.
“We will also deal with the consuming of the DNA evidence issue at that time,” Taylor said.
Bradfield is being held in the Clallam County jail on $1 million bail.
Huether is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
