The attorney's for a man accused of killing a Bellevue woman filed court documents that placed blame on someone else.
George Burch was charged with killing Nicole Vanderheyden and dumping her body in a field May 2016.
A judge granted a hearing on a "denny" motion to introduce new evidence at trial.
The motion filed by Burch's attorney alleges her boyfriend, who was originally arrested, but never charged had both motive and opportunity.
Both the state and defense agreed to release part of a "motion" in Brown County Court Friday, which could allow new evidence to be introduced citing a third party-perpetrator.
“I think the parties have stipulated that the redacted brief filed by the defense here today is something that, that can be released publicly at this point and we would ask that the other brief remain under seal,” said District Attorney David Lasee in court to the judge.
All parties agreed to redact part of the document so future jury selection would not be compromised.
Law enforcement originally arrested Vanderheyden's boyfriend last May, but was released after two weeks.
Burch was later charged with the murder in September 2016.
Court documents released Friday cites the suspect, Vanderheyden's boyfriend, had “motive, opportunity, and a direct connection” to the murder of Nicole Vanderheyden. It detailed the night of Vanderheyden's murder.
Witnesses said there was “intense fighting” and “heavy drinking” that lead to Vanderheyden meeting Burch at a bar and then returning to her home.
Burch's attorney's claimed her boyfriend found them outside in Burch's car, hit him, and when he woke the suspect made Burch take Vanderheyden's body to the location where it would later be found. The documents also cited more evidence that linked the suspect to the crime.
It also states in the court documents that "law enforcement specifically indicated that they knew suspect had a hand in vanderheyden's murder” and “there was no doubt about it."
George Burch is being held on a "two dollar million cash bond".
