Third murder trial scheduled this spring for Vodder

A third murder trial for Colby Vodder is scheduled for March 21.

The date was set Friday in Spokane County Superior Court immediately after Judge Raymond Clary denied motions made by the defense.

One of the motions, made by Vodder’s attorney Joe Kuhlman, sought to disqualify Clary from presiding over the case. The notice regarding disqualifying Clary says Kuhlman believes that a “fair and impartial trial in this case” cannot be had before Clary.

Kuhlman told the court Friday he felt the second trial, which Clary was part, was “combative” at times, and the defense was battling the prosecution and the court.

Vodder sat next to Kuhlman Friday, sporting a yellow Spokane County Jail jumpsuit.

A jury couldn’t reach a unanimous decision in 2018, and then it found Vodder guilty of first-degree murder in 2019.

Prosecutors allege Vodder, now 31, helped kill and dismember Bret Snow, 32, in the workshop building of property at 7822 N. Starr Road near Newman Lake in 2015.

Vodder was sentenced to almost 29 years in prison after his conviction.

Vodder sought review of his judgment and sentencing by the Washington state Court of Appeals in August 2019, according to court documents.

In documents filed in June 2021, the state Court of Appeals concluded that the trial court “erred by allowing the lead detective to testify that he believed Vodder was guilty. Because this error is of constitutional magnitude and is not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, we reverse and remand for retrial.”