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Murder defendant stands mute at hearing
OBERLIN, Kansas -- An Oberlin, Kansas, man accused of premeditated murder stood mute this morning before Decatur County District Judge Preston Pratt, who then entered a plea of "not guilty" on his behalf to charges of killing Corey R. Cook in a rural Decatur County home on Oct. 16, 2011.
During his arraignment before Judge Pratt, 24-year-old Dylan Robert Coryell waived a formal reading of the charges against him and entered no plea himself to charges of:
Count 1: Premeditated murder in the first degree, punishable by life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum of 25 years (or with aggravating circumstances, 50 years), and a fine of $500,000.
An alternative Count 1 charge of felony murder in the first degree, punishable by life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum of 20 years, and a fine of $500,000.
Count 2: Felony aggravated battery, punishable by a prison sentence from 11 to 34 months, and a fine of $100,000.
Count 3: Felony aggravated burglary, punishable by a prison sentence from 31 to 136 months, and a fine of $300,000.
Judge Pratt entered a plea of not guilty on Coryell's behalf. Coryell waived his right to a speedy trial within 90 days and instead opted for a trial within 180 days, a two-week jury trial scheduled for Aug. 20-31.
Pretrial motions are scheduled to be heard on June 4, at 9:30 a.m.; July 5, at 1:30 p.m.; and Aug. 3, at 1 p.m.
Following the 15-minute arraignment, Coryell was remanded to the custody of the Decatur County Sheriff's Office. His bond continues at $500,000.
Coryell is accused of killing Cook, a 22-year-old U.S. Airman home on leave, in a fight over a girl. During the night of Oct. 16, 2011, Coryell is believed to have shot Cook as Cook lay in bed with Sarah Campbell, who was just weeks into a new relationship with Cook and at the same time having what she described at a preliminary hearing in February as a "complicated" relationship with Coryell.