A man charged in a Texas County cold case is slated to return to Texas County Circuit Court on March 15 for a trial setting date.
The decision came during a Feb. 2 appearance in a murder case involving Tommie K. Whetzell, 64, who is free on $250,000 bond.
Whetzell is charged in the first-degree murder of Ricky Luebbert, 42, of Tyrone, on Nov. 10, 2007.
Luebbert’s body was found inside a residence in the Tyrone area. Multiple bullet holes were found in a front window. An investigation was opened, but the case was not solved. An effort by the Texas County Sheriff’s Department and the national true crime series, “Cold Justice,” led to charges against Whetzell last year.
Whetzell faces life in prison, if convicted, after the county prosecutor filed paperwork not to seek the death penalty.