The defense for the man convicted of murdering a San Luis Obispo woman in 2018 wants their client to have a new trial.
Robert Koehler was originally set to be sentenced Tuesday but instead another a hearing to discuss a potential motion requesting a new trial was put in its place, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.
A San Luis Obispo County jury in July found 40-year-old Koehler guilty of murdering Kristen Marti and found true a special allegation that he used a knife in the killing.
During closing arguments, the prosecution argued Koehler not only brutally murdered Marti and dumped her body in a creek, but also planned it.
Marti’s body was found along Prefumo Canyon Road outside San Luis Obispo weeks after she was reported missing.
Koehler was a person-of-interest in the case shortly after Marti went missing and was later arrested in May 2018.
The DA's Office said Tuesday morning that Koehler's defense had not filed a written motion specifying a basis for a new trial. A new sentencing date had also not yet been set.
His murder conviction carries a possible life sentence.
