Trial date set in Carlson slaying

SANDPOINT — A trial date has been firmed up for the accused killer of a former Bonner County resident in California.

Jason Ross Gilley is scheduled to go on trial in February of next year for the kidnapping, rape and murder of Dalene Carlson, The Stockton Record reports.

Gilley, 26, is charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances that could land him on death row. The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, however, has not announced whether it will seek capital punishment, according to The Record.

Carlson, 23, disappeared in Stockton last August, allegedly while in the company of Gilley. Her remains were discovered by a farmer in nearby Escalon two months later and Gilley attracted suspicion because he gave inconsistent statements to detectives probing the woman’s disappearance.

Carlson was slain shortly after relocating from the Sandpoint area to attend school in California.

Gilley remains jailed while the case is pending. The Record reports that he will be back in court on Aug. 13 for a hearing on a motion filed by his defense counsel to dismiss certain unspecified charges.