Man bound over for trial in 20-year-old slaying

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) -- A Bartlesville man who may be connected to a 20-year-old murder by DNA evidence will stand trial for the crime.<br><br>Leotis Herbert Hall was bound over for trial on Tuesday

Thursday, June 5th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) -- A Bartlesville man who may be connected to a 20-year-old murder by DNA evidence will stand trial for the crime.

Leotis Herbert Hall was bound over for trial on Tuesday following a preliminary hearing in Washington County District Court.

DNA tests and witnesses linked Hall, 46, to the 1983 slaying of Dorthea Stanford, whose 9-year-old son found her at their Bartlesville home, prosecutors allege.

"Odds of six-billion-to-one are pretty certain," District Attorney Rick Esser said during the two-day hearing. "That goes way beyond probable cause."

Mark Kane, Hall's defense attorney, argued that there was not sufficient evidence to bind his client over for trial. Hall will be arraigned July 11.

Officers on the scene found Stanford's body dressed in a nightgown and lying on a sofa which was covered by a blanket.

A bloody pillowcase covered her face. A barbell, believed to be the murder weapon, was reportedly found under the sofa.

Officers reported there was no sign of a struggle.