Joshua Johnson, the man accused of killing 17-year-old co-worker Riley Whitelaw at a Colorado Springs Walgreens, has a new trial date.
At a motions hearing on Friday morning, Johnson's defense attorney Deana O'Reily requested for a continuance of Johnson's trial date, which was originally scheduled to begin on March 6.
O'Reily said there was not enough time between now and the start of the jury trial for Johnson's defense to hire an expert to review DNA evidence that was submitted to the defense one week ago.
The prosecution had no objection to a continuance, and thus, Judge Eric Bentley set May 8 as the new jury trial date.
Bentley also ruled on several different motions filed by both the prosecution and defense at the hearing.
The first motion ruled on by Bentley was a motion to allow testimony from friends and family of Whitelaw to speak about unwanted advances that Johnson allegedly made towards Whitelaw while working together at Walgreens.
Johnson, 28, allegedly killed Whitelaw in the breakroom of the store at 6820 Centennial Blvd., in June 2022. At Johnson's preliminary hearing in September Colorado Springs police detectives testified that Whitelaw told friends, family and co-workers that Johnson had a romantic interest in her that made her feel uncomfortable.
Detectives at the hearing testified that Whitelaw had made complaints to her manager at Walgreens about Johnson more than a year before her death, saying he was making “advances towards her” that made Whitelaw uncomfortable.
Several weeks before her death, Whitelaw had requested different hours so she would no longer have to work with Johnson, according to police. However, when Whitelaw asked for additional hours, she was told it would require her to work with Johnson.
Bentley ruled that while the testimony wasn't intrinsic, it was admissible at trial due to being potential evidence as a motive for Johnson's alleged actions. Bentley made the same ruling in regard to the admissibility of a voicemail from Whitelaw prior to her death.
The last significant ruling made by Bentley was a denial of the request from Johnson's defense for a change of venue, with Bentley stating that despite the significant media coverage of the homicide that it did not warrant a change of venue.
A motion to suppress evidence and testimony filed by Johnson's defense that requires testimony from at least one CSPD detective will be heard at a motions hearing on a different date, according to Bentley.
During Johnson's preliminary hearing in September, CSPD detectives testified that only Johnson could be responsible for killing his teen co-worker.
At the preliminary hearing, Bentley described Johnson's story of another man potentially committing the crime as "wildly implausible," before ruling that Johnson would face a trial for allegedly killing Whitelaw.
Johnson was last in court in November when he entered a not guilty plea to the charge of first-degree murder. While Johnson is scheduled to begin his trial in May, he will return to court on March 17 for a motions hearing.
Johnson remains in custody at the El Paso County jail on a no-bond hold. If found guilty of first-degree murder Johnson will be given a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
