WILBER, Neb. (AP) - The second defendant in the killing of a Nebraska woman wants her trial moved and wants testimony about rough sex and the occult barred.
Bailey Boswell’s attorney, Todd Lancaster, argues in a motion filed Friday that the extensive media coverage and the “deep and bitter prejudice” against Boswell in Saline County will make it impossible for her to receive a fair trial.
Boswell and her boyfriend, Aubrey Trail, were charged with first-degree murder and other crimes in the 2017 killing and dismemberment of 24-year-old Sydney Loofe, of Lincoln. Her body parts were found in ditches along a highway weeks after her disappearance.
Trail was convicted by a Saline County jury this month and waived his right to have a jury decide whether he should be eligible for the death penalty. He has maintained that Loofe’s death happened accidentally during rough sex.
Lancaster is seeking to bar any mention of Boswell participating in “sexual activity which includes discussion of torture, involves sadomasochistic activity or the infliction of consensual physical punishment during sexual activity.”
In another motion, Lancaster also asks the judge to bar prosecutors from mentioning the occult, including witchcraft and sorcery. A woman testified at Trail’s trial that he invited her to join his cult of a dozen women but said she had to kill someone first. She said Trail bragged to her about killing several people and told her how she could gain powers as one of his “witches” if she tortured her victim before death.
A hearing on the motions is scheduled for Aug. 9.
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Sydney Loofe’s first name, which had been misspelled “Sidney.”
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