After numerous delays, the murder trial for Kylr Yust is set to begin on April 5. In 2017 Cass County prosecutors charged Yust with two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of 17 year old Kara Kopetsky and 21 year old Jessica Runions. Yust pleaded not guilty to the charges.
17 year old Kara Kopetsky was last seen giving Yust a ride home in 2007. Yust was an ex-boyfriend of Kopetsky’s, and she had filed a restraining order against him just days prior to her disappearance. In a statement she described his abuse and wrote that she was “unsure of what he will do next. The abuse has gotten worse over time.”
21 year old Jessica Runions was last seen on September 8, 2016 with Kylr Yust, an estranged boyfriend of Kopetsky’s. Authorities soon found her burned vehicle in a wooded area and charged Yust with burning it.
The girls disappeared nearly a decade apart, and their remains were found on the same Cass County farm in April of 2017. Yust was linked to both girls.
According to investigators, four individuals said Yust confessed to choking Kopetsky until she stopped breathing. He told one friend he discarded her remains in a wooded area, according to court documents.
Witnesses at the gathering where Runions was last seen with Yust stated he was drinking heavily and was “acting very possessive towards (Runions) and aggressive towards others at the party”
Kylr Yust is accused of killing Kara Kopetsky in 2007 and Jessica Runions in 2016. His trial is set to begin on April 5, with jury selection starting on March 29.
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