Third defendant pleads not guilty in death of James Booher
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (CBS2/FOX28) — Thursday afternoon, Matthew Robbins, 46, was the third defendant pleaded not guilty in a federal case involving the death of a Marion man. He is the third defendant in the case to do so.
Robbins, along with William Yancey, 43, and Danielle Busch, 29 are each facing three counts: robbery affecting interstate commerce; conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce; and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm resulting in the murder of James "Jimbob" Booher.
The case involving all three people is capital punishment eligible. Right now, U.S. Attorney General William Barr is currently reviewing the case and expects to make a decision on whether the death penalty will be pursued by December.
Court officials said that there is a terabyte of data stored with information related to the case, and due to its complex nature, it is not eligible for a speedy trial. A trial has been set tentatively for February 24, 2020.
Booher was last seen May 31, 2014. In May of 2015, a year after Booher went missing, investigators dug up Robbins' property in Ely. A criminal complaint filed a month earlier shows law enforcement recovered text messages from Robbins' former wife, Danielle Ayers, that discussed a robbery of Jim Booher that Robbins and Yancey were involved in.
Several family members of Booher showed up to the trial Thursday afternoon. They said they were "not surprised" that Robbins pleaded not guilty and continue to hope for justice.
