A Cochise County Superior Judge has set a trial date for a high-profile sexual assault cold case from 2001.

Cochise County Superior Court Judge Karwaczka set the trial for John Daly III, the retired border patrol agent charged with sexual assault related to a 2001 cold case that was resurrected in 2021 after his DNA matched that found at the crime scene. Daly’s trial is now set for June 18, 2026. A status conference was also scheduled for March 13, 2026. Over five years will have passed since Daly was taken into custody until the start of the trial. The case has been heard before two judges, several motions and multiple trial dates.

The most recent motion was filed in Late April by Daly’s attorneys Ralph Ellinwood, and Michael Terrible who argued before Judge Karwaczka the sexual assault count in Daly’s indictment should be dismissed based on the lack of proof to support the charge. Terrible said during a hearing on April 14, “There is no proof, no evidence to support the count. This is a waste of time.”….read full story (online subscribers only)