Joel Courtney arrives in Oregon to face charges in Wilberger murder
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The man accused of killing Brooke Wilberger, a 19-year-old Brigham Young University student who disappeared in 2004 and whose body has never been found, arrived in Oregon on Tuesday to face charges in her death.
Joel Courtney was extradited to Oregon last week after he was sentenced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to 18 years in prison in a separate rape and abduction case in that city.
Wilberger was cleaning lamp poles on May 24, 2004, outside an apartment complex her sister managed in Corvallis when she vanished, leaving behind her flip-flop shoes and a pail of soapy water.
Despite an extensive search by police and volunteers, her body has never been found. She is presumed dead and Courtney has been named as the primary suspect in her murder, although investigators and prosecutors have revealed little of the evidence they believe ties him to her death.
Prosecutors in Oregon have said they would seek the death penalty in the case. Courtney is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.
