Local News in Brief : Countywide : Appeal Ruling Sets Stage for Kraft Murder Trial

The California Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a pretrial appeal by the defense in the Randy Steven Kraft murder case. The ruling apparently removes the last potential hurdle in the trial, now in the jury selection stage.

Lawyers for Kraft had asked the court to throw out most of the evidence against him that had been gathered during searches of Kraft’s car, his home in Long Beach and his former office in Anaheim. The defense claimed that the court-approved search warrants properly covered only a small portion of the items seized.

Kraft, 43, who could face the death penalty if convicted, is charged with the murders of 16 men in Orange County. Kraft was arrested in May, 1983, when police found a dead Marine propped up in the passenger seat of his car during a routine traffic stop.

William J. Kopeny, one of Kraft’s attorneys, said Thursday that the search warrant issue could be the basis of an appeal if Kraft is convicted.

However, Deputy Dist. Atty. Bryan F. Brown, Kraft’s prosecutor, credited Deputy Dist. Atty. Thomas M. Goethals with making strong legal arguments in support of the warrants in a hearing before the Supreme Court.