The case against Clifton Boggess in the death of Britani Meek will be going to trial.
That was the ruling of 13th Judicial District Judge Dina M. Christiansen at the conclusion of Boggess’ preliminary hearing held last Friday in Yuma County District Court in Wray.
The date for the trial is yet to be determined. An arraignment has been scheduled for October 7 at 1:30 p.m. in Wray.
The preliminary hearing lasted approximately five hours, along with a one-hour lunch break.
Approximately 10-12 of Meek’s family were in attendance, including her mother
Rolinda Meek and her grandmother Mardell White. Most were sporting matching “Team Britani” purple t-shirts, which included the phrase “Forever 25” — Meek’s age when she died in late 2023. Some also had their hair dyed purple and white.
Boggess, 63, was escorted into Courtroom A prior to the family being seated. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit emblazoned with “Logan County Jail” on the back. He was sporting long gray hair down to the shoulders and a long gray beard extending to his chest. He wore reading glasses and often was writing something during the hearing. He turned around once to his left to look toward the back of the courtroom, but otherwise looked straight ahead.
Among the charges he is facing is first-degree murder, tampering with a deceased body, and second-degree kidnapping.
There were no phones, no recording and no cameras allowed in the courtroom. Judge Christiansen ruled that a live stream of the proceedings could take place despite objections by the defense attorney who made the case it might taint the jury pool.
Another procedural move early in the hearing was District Attorney Travis Sides requesting that Boggess acknowledge that he is aware there was a plea agreement had been extended, and that it would be off the table after the preliminary hearing, and that he is aware of the potential jail time if convicted of the various charges. The defense acknowledged Boggess had been advised of the plea offer, and was aware it now would be off the table.
Defense attorney McLaughlin and Sides also held an early aside, then met in a sidebar with Judge Christiansen, after which the judge reiterated there was a sequestration order in place. She then ordered one person sitting in the back of the room to leave because he might be a witness at trial. She also declared anyone else who might be a witness could not be in attendance nor watch the live stream.
A preliminary hearing is for the prosecution to convince the judge there is enough evidence to move forward with a trial. Therefore, the rules of evidence are more loose than during a trial, and the prosecution lays out only enough of what it has to get the case moved forward. That means much more will be presented during the trial than was last Friday.
D.A. Sides brought forth five expert witnesses to lay out the case against Boggess.
(Read more in this week’s Pioneer, available at news stands all over town, including the Pioneer office downtown.)