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Craft homicide trial postponed due to anonymous letter left at courthouse

Posted at 6:13 PM, May 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-24 20:13:06-04

The trial for the man accused of killing Adam Petzack in 2016 has been postponed again.

Brandon Craft’s trial was scheduled to begin in June, but will now start on July 10.

Earlier this week, an anonymous letter was left at the Cascade County Courthouse. The letter stated Craft’s ex-wife, Katelyn Zdeb, had more to do with Petzack’s murder.

Defense attorneys asked for an extension and prosecutors agreed as both parties would have time to review the new information.

Jury selection for the new trial will take place on July 8.

Craft’s trial was previously postponed after his attorney was removed from the case due to a conflict of interest.


(APRIL 2018) The woman who was involved with stealing a military veteran’s benefits charged her plea in Great Falls. On Friday morning, Katelyn Craft entered a plea of guilty to two felony counts of deceptive practices. Her ex-husband, Brandon Craft, will stand trial next month for the murder of Adam Petzack.

According to the plea agreement, Katelyn has agreed to testify against her ex-husband at his trial next month. Court documents say Petzack was living with the Crafts at the time of his disappearance. Katelyn opened a Square account which was connected to Petzack’s bank account and linked it to Brandon’s bank account. Detectives discovered large withdrawals were made from the Craft’s account on the same days deposits were made in the Square account.

The couple were arrested in Washington and Brandon told detectives what had happened to Petzack. Katelyn will be sentenced after Brandon’s trial.

The murder of Adam Petzack
The murder of Adam Petzack

(APRIL 2017) Bail for Brandon Craft, accused of murdering Adam Petzack and stealing his veterans benefits, will remain at one million dollars. On Monday, Craft asked for a bail reduction, which was denied. He also asked for a reduction in January.

Craft is charged with murdering disabled Army veteran Adam Petzack. Petzack rented a small out-building from Craft on Gore Hill.

Craft told investigators that he killed Petzack after witnessing him performing an inappropriate sex act near his young daughter; detectives have testified that there was no evidence of that.

Prosecutors say after Craft murdered Petzack, he hid his body and started a bank account to steal Petzack’s veteran’s benefits. They say Craft and his family moved to Washington shortly after they were questioned by police.

Craft was arrested in August and prosecutors say that since he’s been in jail, Craft has been trying to influence witnesses testimony.


(SEPTEMBER 15, 2016) Katelyn Craft appeared in court in Great Falls on Thursday in connection with the investigation into the death of Adam Petzack. Petzack was reported missing earlier this year in Great Falls; he was a military veteran receiving disability benefits.

Katelyn and her husband Brandon were arrested in mid-August in Thurston County in western Washington. Petzack was living with Katelyn and Brandon at the time of his disappearance.

According to court documents, in February, Katelyn opened a Square account which was connected to Petzack’s bank account. Court documents state she linked it to her husband’s checking account. Detectives discovered large withdrawals were made from the Craft’s account on the same days deposits were made in the Square Incorporated.

Brandon was charged last month with killing Petzack; he remains jailed in Thurston County, Washington, on $1M bond; he is still fighting extradition. Brandon told investigators that he shot Petzack in the back of the head and buried the body.

Katelyn has been charged with one felony count of “exploitation of older person, incapacitated person, or person with developmental disability.”  She pleaded not guilty to the charge. Her trial has been scheduled for January 12th.