Kelli Lepler, (Hall County Department of Corrections, Courtesy)
GRAND ISLAND — The owner of a Grand Island cemetery headstone business accused of receiving $258,404 from 43 customers and who hasn’t fulfilled their orders is requesting a change of venue for her case, filed March 12.
Kelli J. Lepler, 46, of 3009 W. Stolley Park Road No. 56, is charged in Hall County District Court with 46 counts of theft by deception, of which 38 charges are felonies and eight charges are misdemeanors. A pretrial conference was scheduled for March 12.
Lepler’s attorney, Hall County Public Defender Jerry Piccolo, wrote in his motion for change of venue that “a fair and impartial jury/trial cannot be held due to pretrial publicity which is pervasive in the community and prejudicial” to Lepler.
Piccolo continued that “a review of pretrial publicity in this case shows numerous newspaper articles, television reports, and social media reports and comments inflammatory/prejudicial” to Lepler.
District Judge Andrew Butler will consider the motion for change of venue at an 11 a.m. April 15 hearing. A jury trial in Lepler’s case had been scheduled to start April 1. Lepler was the owner of Monument Advisors.
Deputy Hall County Attorney Matthew Boyle is the prosecutor. Lepler’s bond was set at $100,000 as of Oct. 3, 2023.
According to the July 3, 2023, arrest warrant affidavit:
Since April 4, 2023, “the Grand Island Police Department has received an additional 68 reports. All 68 of those reports are very similar in the fact that the victims had paid Kelli Lepler money up front for a monument or monument services.” The cemetery monuments were never delivered. Lepler told customers various excuses as to why the orders were not being completed.
The purchases were made between Jan. 8, 2020, and Feb. 9, 2023.
