Kalmio Trial Continues - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Kalmio Trial Continues

The prosecution continued making its case today in the trial of Omar Kalmio.

JIM

Kalmio is charged with four counts of murder in connection with shootings in Minot two years ago.

Shaun Sipma reports it was a day of jailhouse confessions and crime scene information in court today.

Thursday morning, several people who were serving time in the Ward County Jail at the time Omar Kalmio was taken into custody in 2011, testified today about conversations with and confessions from Kalmio.

Because of safety concerns we can't show the witnesses face or use their real voice….

Prosecution called on one man who testified that he specifically talked with Kalmio about his ex-girlfriend, Sabrina, about child custody issues and the problems he said he had with the Zephier family.

(Protected Witness B) "He told me he got fed up with them always hounding them for money and other things that it just drove him to where he couldn't handle it anymore.

(Kelly Dillon, Ward County Assistant State's Attorney) Did he tell you what he did then?

(Protected Witness B) "He told me he went to the house and shot them."

During cross examination, Defense Attorney Kerry Rosenquist asked the witness if he had ever traded jail house testimony for leniency for his own jail time. The witness said he had on several occasions.

(Kerry Rosenquist, Defense Attorney) "So you decided to make up a story, give it to law enforcement and waste and hour or two hours of trial time and investigation time on our part and waste this juries time so you can get a few months time off for a story you made up. Isn't that right?

(Protected Witness B) "No."

Prosecution also called on a former coworker of Kalmio, who is also in protective custody about a conversation he had with Kalmio shortly after Sabrina was found murdered.

(Protected Witness) "They got shot in the head and in the face.

(Kelly Dillon, Ward County Assistant State's Attorney) "Did he mention anyone else who got shot?

(Protected Witness) "A house pet or something else got shot."

That was information Prosecution lead that was never released to the public.

For that they turned to Minot Police Captain Dan Strandberg, who was the acting Public Information Officer for this case in charge of releasing information to the public.

(Captain Dan Strandberg, Minot Police Department) "No that was never released."

50 Witnesses have been called on to testify by the Prosecution to this point with more expected Friday.

Court recessed for the day with Judge Doug Mattson indicating that this trial will likely last until the middle of next week.

At the Ward County Courthouse, Shaun Sipma KX News.

The prosecution could be finishing its case tomorrow with defense witnesses to follow.