Plea expected Wednesday in Kiplyn Davis case

PROVO — A man charged with the death of fellow student Kiplyn Davis will be in court Wednesday afternoon to enter a plea.

Christopher Neal Jeppson previously pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder and was preparing to go forward with a weeks-long trial in late May and June in 4th District Court.

Defense attorney Scott Williams confirmed Wednesday's hearing was scheduled, but because the deal isn't yet finalized, he declined to comment on any of the specifics.

However, a member of Jeppson's family told the Deseret News that Jeppson would not be pleading to murder.

"I expect it to be with little disagreement," Williams said of the Wednesday hearing. "If it goes forward as anticipated, it's essentially a universal agreement by everybody."

Williams said the plea arrangement was a "last-minute" decision arranged by the defense and prosecuting attorneys and was acceptable to his client.

"Given all the resources that are being expended to move forward toward trial, it is in the interest of all parties to address it quickly to see if it can be done," he said.

Jeppson was charged in 2007 with the death of 15-year-old Kiplyn Davis, who never returned home from Spanish Fork High School on May 2, 1995.

Her body has never been found.

Williams has filed several motions arguing that the case should be dropped because of a lack of evidence, such as blood, DNA, a murder weapon or even a body linking Jeppson to the crime.

Prosecutors are relying on two joking-type statements Jeppson made to a now ex-wife and a now ex-girlfriend regarding his involvement and knowledge of the case, Williams said.

Timmy Brent Olsen also is charged with murder, but because attorneys in his case have appealed previous district court decisions, all hearings in his case will be stayed until the appeals process is completed, court officials said.

E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com