Bo Kirk murder suspect indicted on new charges

A Coeur d’Alene homicide suspect got a stunning blow in court Thursday when he learned he’s facing a series of new charges thanks to a Kootenai County grand jury.

David Hutto was indicted for arson, robbery, kidnapping and first-degree murder in connection with Bo Kirk’s death.

KXLY4 broke the story first online, on Twitter and had the only camera in court when Hutto got the bad news from prosecutors.

The new charges, handed up by the grand jury, reflect the series of crimes that ultimately led to Bo Kirk’s death.

The most significant change: detectives think they now have the evidence to show Kirk’s murder was premeditated.

Thursday was the day David Hutto was supposed to get his preliminary hearing – a mini trial where the judge would have heard testimony from witnesses about Hutto’s alleged involvement in Bo Kirk’s disappearance.

Instead, prosecutors announced they had handed over Hutto’s case to grand jurors who found plenty of good reasons to indict him. Specifically, that Hutto kidnapped Bo Kirk at gunpoint from his Coeur d’Alene driveway, that Hutto robbed Kirk of his truck and debit card which were used to loot Kirk’s bank account, that Hutto committed the crime of arson by torching Kirk’s pickup truck, and that it was Hutto who fatally shot Kirk near the Hayden Creek gun range.

New court documents show that Hutto’s roommate, Justin Booth, testified before the grand jury implicating Hutto in the killing. Booth was apparently the second person seen inside Kirk’s stolen truck at the bank, because after Hutto’s arrest, Booth hopped in a car with sheriff’s detectives and retraced the route taken the night of Kirk’s murder.

This grand jury indictment is bad news for Hutto in more ways than one, robbing Hutto of his right to a preliminary hearing before a Kootenai County judge.