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WILKES-BARRE — A trial date has been set for a woman accused of paying to have her stepfather killed, an order filed in county court on Monday shows.
The order, signed by Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough, sets the trial for Kendra Dias for Feb. 3, 2020.
The Sugar Notch woman, 25, is facing counts of solicitation for homicide and conspiracy to commit criminal homicide. The charges came earlier this year, nearly four years after the death of her stepfather, Donald Bachman, 49, outside of his Willow Street home on May 1, 2015.
Police say she paid a still-unknown person $1,500, and that person later gunned Bachman down. So far, no information concerning the identity of the shooter has been released.
Vough’s order also sets a framework to be followed for the remainder of proceedings. Further pre-trial conferences can be scheduled via further orders from Vough, should either the prosecution or the defense team deem them necessary.
Both parties are ordered to provide the court with exhibit lists, witness lists, proposed jury instructions, questions for potential jurors and other pieces of information by Jan. 27.
Dias, who was arrested this spring, has been out on $500,000 unsecured bail, which means she will only need to pay should she fail to appear at a court hearing.
Prosecutors agreed to a reduction of bail from $1 million straight cash in exchange for Dias agreeing to waive her right to a preliminary hearing in April.
While some members of Bachman’s family were surprised that Dias was granted bail, Assistant District Attorney Jarrett Ferentino emphasized previously that the crimes she is accused of are bailable offenses.