Jury convicts SLO County man of murdering Kristen Marti after 2-month trial
A jury convicted an Arroyo Grande man of first-degree murder of Kristen Marti on Thursday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court after a two month-long trial.
Robert Koehler, 40, of Arroyo Grande was found guilty of slashing Marti’s throat and weighing her body down with rocks in a flowing Prefumo Canyon creek in January 2018.
He was charged with one count of murder with a sentencing enhancement for using a deadly weapon — a knife.
Koehler pleaded not guilty to the crime in June 2018.
San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Jesse J. Marino oversaw the case, which began on June 1.
The trial featured testimony from people close to Marti at the time of her disappearance, including Nickolas Reed, Marti’s boyfriend, as well as testimony from detectives who investigated the case back in 2018.
What happened to murder victim Kristen Marti?
According to testimony from detectives and those close with her, Marti and her boyfriend were habitual heroin and methamphetamine users.
San Luis Obispo Police Department Officer Greg Benson testified he had heard rumors that Marti supported her and her boyfriend’s habits through sex work.
Marti was last seen alive in a parked vehicle in the Prefumo Canyon area on Jan. 9, 2018. Reed reported her missing to police about a week later.
Her body was found in a Prefumo Canyon creekbed in March 2018 following a large-scale search.
San Luis Obispo police Det. Caleb Kemp testified that, after being assigned to Marti’s case, he obtained Marti’s phone records and attempted to get in touch with those who had communicated with her on the night of her disappearance.
There was one number that couldn’t be traced back to a person, Kemp said, but after tracing the phone number to a third-party phone app and looking at messages and photos attached to that account, Kemp and his detective partner were able to identify the person as Koehler, he said.
In her opening statement for the case, San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Lisa Muscari said that Koehler had contacted Marti multiple times through that third-party phone number and had asked her to meet, offering her cocaine and “a donation,” meaning money traded for a sexual experience.
Muscari also said that in a search of Koehler’s house after Marti’s disappearance, police found a bag with writings in which Koehler fantasized about “killing whores.” Koehler later told investigators that they were “his raps.”
Police also found that Koehler had a list of “20 ways to not get nabbed,” according to Muscari.
After the sentencing, Muscari told The Tribune that she wanted to thank the jurors for the attention they paid to the case over its eight-week span.
“The parents of Kristen (Marti) weren’t able to make it here but I know that once we tell them what the verdict is, they will be able to find some peace in that,” the prosecutor said, and the fact that “the defendant was held accountable for the vicious murder of their daughter.”
Muscari also said she wanted to thank the members of the jury, who attended Koehler’s eight-week-long trial.
“The jurors worked really hard and we thank the jurors for being very attentive (and) to put in all that time to pursue justice,” Muscari said.
“Today’s verdict has brought justice for Kristen Marti and her loved ones who still grieve her loss,” San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said in a news release. “Our community is now safer due to the professionalism and dedication of the San Luis Obispo Police Department and all of the assisting agencies.”
Koehler faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison for the murder, with an additional year for the use of a deadly weapon, according to Muscari.
SLO County man to stand trial for carjacking
Before his sentencing, Koehler will have a trial for a 2005 conviction for violent offense carjacking in Shasta County, said the press release.
According to Muscari, the verdict of this trial might double Koehler’s sentence to 52 years to life.
The hearing is set to start at 1:30 p.m. Monday.
According to the release, a sentencing date will be set at the conclusion of the hearing.
However, after the jury announced their verdict on Thursday, defense attorney Trace Milan said he plans to file a motion for a new trial.
“My defendant was denied a fair trial,” he told the Tribune.
Milan said he was denied the right to show evidence on at least two separate occasions beginning the fourth week of the trial that would have shown the jury someone else could have committed the crime.
It is unclear when Koehler will be sentenced.
This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 4:42 PM.
