Judge to allow text messages in Longoria murder trial

Jurors will hear about text messages exchanged between a 14-year-old Great Bend girl and the 38-year-old man accused of killing her, a judge ruled Thursday.

Attorneys for Adam Longoria had filed motions to bar possibly hundreds of text messages between Longoria and Alicia DeBolt over a month between their first meeting and the night she went missing. The teen’s badly burned body was found Aug. 24, 2010 – three days after she disappeared – at an asphalt plant where Longoria worked, five miles south of Great Bend.

Also Thursday, Barton County Judge Hannelore Kitts ruled that crime-scene and autopsy photos also will be shown to the jury at Longoria’s trial, scheduled to start March 26. He is charged with capital murder, attempted rape and criminal solicitation of a minor.

Prosecutors plan to argue that Longoria became obsessed with Alicia after meeting her July 17 at a birthday party for his live-in girlfriend. The state contends the two began texting after the party, exchanging 55 messages that day alone.

Prosecutors claim Longoria, who was 36 at the time but said he was 25, called Alicia “miss shy” and “hot stuff” and asked her to send him a picture, which she did.

Longoria’s attorneys have argued that prosecutors are engaging in a “blatant attempt” to prejudice the jury by introducing the text messages and pictures of her charred body at trial.

“We’re going to have a lot of text messages,” Longoria attorney Jeffrey Wicks said Thursday. Although some of the messages were addressed in October at a preliminary hearing, he said, “We haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg.”

Alicia was last seen leaving her home Aug. 21, 2010, in a black SUV. Her body was found three days later with traces of duct tape on her ankles and face.

Prosecutors said in court filings that Longoria went to the home of Alicia’s family on Aug. 23, 2010, and tried to “put together a search party.”

He was arrested Aug. 27 on I-70 while driving an SUV reported stolen from the Great Bend asphalt company where Alicia’s body was found. Then-Kansas Attorney General Steve Six said stealing the SUV was a “desperate act” spurred by the investigation into Alicia’s death. Six also noted at the time that Longoria had mailed his personal belongings to Texas shortly before fleeing in the stolen vehicle.

The state is not seeking the death penalty, but if convicted Longoria could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

This story was originally published March 1, 2012 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Judge to allow text messages in Longoria murder trial."