Kelli Lepler, (Hall County Department of Corrections, Courtesy)
GRAND ISLAND – A jury trial for Kelli Lepler of Grand Island, scheduled to start Dec. 4, has been continued to begin on Jan. 22.
A motion to continue the start of the trial was filed, and Hall County District Judge Andrew Butler approved the request Nov. 26.
Lepler’s trial will go from Jan. 22 through Jan. 24, Jan. 27 through Jan. 31, and Feb. 3 through Feb. 7.
Lepler is accused of accepting payments for cemetery headstones but not installing the headstones.
Deputy Hall County Attorney Matthew Boyle is the prosecutor. Defense attorneys are Hall County Public Defenders Jerry Piccolo and Edwina Heise.
Lepler, 46, owned of a Grand Island cemetery headstone business and is accused of receiving $258,404 from 43 customers.
She is charged in Hall County District Court with 46 counts of theft by deception, of which 38 charges are felonies and eight charges are misdemeanors.
According to the July 3, 2023, arrest warrant affidavit:
Since April 4, 2023, “the Grand Island Police Department has received an additional 68 reports. All 68 of those reports are very similar in the fact that the victims had paid Kelli Lepler money up front for a monument or monument services.” The cemetery monuments were never delivered. Lepler told customers various excuses as to why the orders were not being completed.
The purchases were made between Jan. 8, 2020, and Feb. 9, 2023.
