Rotramel to stand trial on charges of murder and rape

Tuesday, October 17th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A judge ruled Monday that Robert Rotramel will stand trial on the charges of murdering a young Oilton girl and raping her friend. A judge made the decision Monday afternoon after prosecutors called four witnesses during a preliminary hearing. The witnesses included the police officer who found Rotramel with the girls in an abandoned house, the agent who took Rotramel's confession, and the agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation who interviewed the 12-year-old rape victim.

The agent who recorded the confession said Rotramel at first, told him he saved the girls from another man who was kidnapping them, but later changed his story. He said Rotramel told him that he put 7-year-old Kristi Blevins into a sleep hold, but didn't mean to kill her. The agent who talked to the surviving victim said she told him Rotramel was acting alone when he allegedly abducted the girls while they were skipping down the street, and took them into the abandoned house.

The victim did not have to testify at the hearing, although she may have to at trial. "We always hope children aren't re-victimized by adults in the court system, but sometimes it works that way,â€ said Creek County District Attorney Max Cook. â€œBut these are often tough little kids who go through this."

One other item that happened during the hearing was that Rotramel's grandmother and mother were both called to the stand to see if they violated a judge's order for witnesses not to talk about the case. After questioning both of them, the judge determined no rule had been broken, but warned if any witness breaks the rule in the future, they could be looking at the inside of a jail cell. The next court date for Rotramel is November 8 where a trial date could be set.