Kelli Lepler, (Hall County Department of Corrections, Courtesy)
GRAND ISLAND — Hall County District Judge Andrew Butler said Tuesday, April 23 that questionnaires will be sent to 500 prospective jurors concerning a Grand Island woman accused of taking money for gravestones but not providing the cemetery gravestones.
Kelli Lepler, 46, of Grand Island appeared in Hall County District Court April 23 with her attorney, Public Defender Jerry Piccolo. Deputy Hall County Attorney Matthew Boyle is the prosecuting attorney. Lepler is charged with 38 felony counts of theft by deception and 8 misdemeanor theft by deception charges.
Piccolo has filed a motion for a change of venue. Tuesday’s court hearing was the second hearing in the last week concerning the change of venue. The questionnaires are being sent to determine whether a change of venue is necessary by determining whether an adequate number of prospective jurors is available.
Both attorneys must submit their questions for the questionnaire to the court by April 30. Any objections to the questions must be filed by May 7. The questionnaires will be sent to prospective jurors during the week of May 13. Butler has reviewed documents that Piccolo provided, which were examples of news media coverage and social media posts, particularly Facebook posts, about the case. Butler described the case as a “high profile case.”
An additional 46th charge in the case was filed after the case reached district court. Piccolo requested a preliminary hearing for that charge, and the preliminary hearing will be at 11 a.m. May 8. The 46th charge is felony theft by deception for a June 10, 2021, incident.
The owner of a Grand Island cemetery headstone business, Monument Advisors, is accused of receiving $258,404 from 43 customers “and has yet to take any steps at fulfilling their orders,” according to a July 3, 2023, arrest warrant affidavit.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit for the case, 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.”
T
he purchases were made between Jan. 8, 2020, and Feb. 9, 2023.
