(Devils Lake, ND) — A man is asking for a new trial after being convicted of a 1986 murder. Werner Kunkel is serving a life sentence for the 1986 murder of Gilbert Fassett, though he has always maintained his innocence. A three-day hearing began on Wednesday where a judge will decide if prosecutors withheld evidence during the original trial. Defense attorneys say witness statements contradicted the prosecution’s timeline of the case and indicate Fassett was alive while Kunkel was in jail. The defense also argues conflicting medical records were withheld that contradict the claim the two were drinking before the murder took place.
