Juvenile-transfer hearing for teen charged with killing Arkansas couple suspended

Hunter Drexler
Hunter Drexler

CONWAY — The juvenile-transfer hearing for one of the teenagers accused in the 2015 double slaying of a Conway couple was suspended Friday morning following objections by the teen's attorney over the admission text messages as evidence.

Hunter Drexler, now 19, is charged with two counts of capital murder and other felonies in the deaths of Robert and Patricia Cogdell. Friday was the fourth day of a hearing to determine if the case against Drexler should be sent to juvenile court.

Faulkner County Circuit Court Judge Troy Braswell paused the proceedings as prosecutors sought to introduce text messages purportedly exchanged by Drexler and a second teen who has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the Cogdells' deaths.

Braswell told the court he was suspending the hearing to give Drexler's defense attorney, Patrick Benca, time to hire or consult with an expert who could help him understand how text messages are exchanged from a device and whether they are credible.

The text messages are said to be on an iPod that belonged to 15-year-old Justin Staton, who is serving a 35-year prison sentence after his guilty plea earlier this year.

Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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