The man suspected of murdering Kelsie Schelling appeared in court on Thursday for his preliminary hearing.
Schelling hasn’t been seen in more than five years, last known to be with her ex-boyfriend Donthe Lucas.
Attorneys spent the full day pouring over the evidence until 5 p.m. and the hearing will continue for a second day on Friday at 9:30 a.m.
Inside the courtroom where cameras weren’t allowed, we heard from four different detectives who’ve helped investigate Kelsie’s case from Denver and Pueblo.
The evidence presented included text messages shared between Kelsie and Lucas in the days leading up to her disappearance.
Also discussed, the inconsistencies with Lucas’ original story to police, compared to the surveillance camera footage at the southside Walmart where Kelsie’s car was parked.
Plus, a lack of any medical records from Parkview Medical Center, where he originally claimed he took her.
Kelsie’s body has never been found. Her mother, Laura Saxton, told News 5 outside of the preliminary hearing that she believes there is more than enough evidence to go to trial.
"I hope that everything is very clear to him as being presented and that he’ll see it the way we all do that this needs to go to trial and we need to get justice for Kelsie," Saxton said.
Lucas was arrested in November of 2017 in Denver on unrelated armed robbery charges.
News 5 learned that’s when he admitted to making up the story about taking Kelsie to Parkview Medical Center. He also told investigators on camera, which was played out in court on Thursday, that he moved Kelsie’s car from the southside Walmart to Saint Mary Corwin Medical Center.
Kelsie’s brother was one of the first people to raise a red flag about Lucas.
"The blank slate of his emotions towards Kelsie and our family and our grieving was just never there and from day one, nothing added up from what he was telling me or telling the detectives or telling anybody," Colby Schelling, Kelsie’s brother said.
Kelsie’s family is still offering a $50,000 reward for anyone with information leading to Kelsie’s remains.
