Hearing in double homicide case continued
Tuesday’s hearing in Yuma County Superior Court for the man who allegedly stabbed his brother and sister-in-law to death was continued at the request of his attorney.
In asking for the postponement, attorney Robert Bleich informed the court that a settlement conference previously granted by the court had to be postponed.
The reason, he explained, is that he has not received the final report of a mental examination conducted on his client to determine if he is competent to stand trial.
Bleich represents Jerry Lee Klahn, who has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder per domestic violence in connection to the deaths of his 60-year-old brother, Kenneth Baese, and his 57-year-old wife, Eileen.
Klahn’s settlement conference is scheduled to be held on May 8.
Superior Court Judge Darci Weede, who is presiding over the case, granted Bleich’s request and scheduled Klahn’s next hearing for 8:30 a.m. on May 26.
In July 2022, Yuma police responded to the area of the 600 block of 9th Avenue for a domestic disturbance call.
When officers arrived on scene, they found two adults with multiple stab wounds in the backyard of the residence.
The investigation revealed that a 63-year-old man, who lives on the property, had stabbed the homeowners, Kenneth and Eileen Baese, multiple times.
They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Klahn, who was still at the residence, was found to have sustained multiple knife wounds also.
He was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center and later flown to a Phoenix-area hospital for treatment.