Deliberations pending in Carlson slaying

SANDPOINT — Jurors are expected to begin deliberating in the case of a former Sandpoint woman who was kidnapped, raped and murdered after relocating to California.

A jury in Stockton heard closing remarks last week in the trial against Jason Ross Gilley, who is accused of perpetrating the crimes against 23-year-old Dalene Carlson.

The following summary of the case is based on multiple news reports on Gilley’s trial published by The Stockton Record:

Carlson relocated to Stockton in May 2011 to enroll in school and find work. She disappeared from Finnegan’s Pub & Grill in August, touching off an intensive search by law enforcement, friends and family.

Two months later, Carlson’s naked and decomposing remains were discovered in a cornfield near Escalon, Calif. She had been shot five times, including once in the head, while lying on the ground, according to published media accounts.

Several subjects were considered persons of interest in the case, but they were eliminated as suspects and detectives began to focus on Gilley after he gave conflicting accounts of his whereabouts leading up to Carlson’s disappearance.

Gilley, 26, initially told investigators that he saw Carlson in the pub, but he left alone after receiving a text message that his son had fallen ill.

However, law enforcement obtained video surveillance footage of Gilley and Carlson purchasing liquor at a grocery store. When confronted, Gilley told investigators he took Carlson back to the bar after making the purchase.

Gilley subsequently changed his story a third time, telling investigators that he and Carlson went to his home, drank and had consensual sex.

But when Gilley drove Carlson home, an argument broke out.

Gilley’s trial began on Sept. 10 in San Joaquin County Superior Court.

Deputy District Attorney Robert Himelblau told jurors that Gilley’s false alibis, ballistic evidence and the fact that he was the last person seen with Carlson proved that he was responsible. Shell casings recovered from the scene of Carlson’s slaying matched an antique .22-caliber pistol Gilley possessed.

Himelblau argued that Carlson became upset with Gilley because she did not to consent to sex with him.

“He killed her because he raped her, and he didn’t want that information to get out,” Himelblau told jurors.

Deputy Public Defender Michael Bullard admitted that his client lied, but those fabrications were made out of escalating fear that he would be falsely accused because he was the last person Carlson was seen with.

Bullard emphasized that the prosecution did not present any DNA evidence connecting Gilley to the crime and reminded jurors that if any reasonable doubt existed, they were obligated to render a verdict of not guilty.

“It’s better to find someone who might be guilty not guilty than it is to find somebody who is not guilty guilty,” Bullard argued.