Trial date for suspects in murder of Monterey County psychiatrist delayed

LAS VEGAS (KION) The trial date for two suspects in the murder of Monterey County psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Burchard has been delayed for a year.

The trial for the suspects, Kelsey Turner and Jon Kennison, has been moved to next July. It was originally set to start this month.

The suspects are being held in Clark County, Nevada because that is where the murder happened. The Clark County District Attorney's Office tells KION the trial date was delayed due to COVID-19 and to allow time for the defense to prepare.

The 71-year-old psychiatrist was killed in March 2019, and his body was left in the trunk of a car in the Lake Mead area. Burchard worked for the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.

A third suspect, Diana Pena, was also arrested, but she agreed to plead guilty to an accessory to murder charge. Turner and Kennison pleaded not guilty to murder and conspiracy charges.