FREDERICK, Colo. — A trial date has been set for a 73-year-old Nebraska man accused of killing a young mother in Colorado in 2007, and the defense noted on Friday that disgraced Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scientist Missy Woods was involved in the case.
Darrell Burklund, a former maintenance worker, in York, Nebraska, was arrested in March 2025. He is accused of killing 25-year-old Jessica Bejarano, and was booked in jail on a charge of second-degree murder.
This case started on April 6, 2007. That day, officers with the Frederick Police Department responded to a call along the 7900 block of Larkspur Circle. When they arrived at the home, they found Bejarano's body in the bathroom. She had one stab wound to her chest, CBI said.
Her 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son were also in the home.
During the investigation, detectives looked at several suspects, which included Bejarano's husband. He was later cleared because he was at work at the time of the crime, CBI said.
Detectives "ultimately" obtained DNA evidence that appeared to be a match to Burklund, CBI said.
Investigators interviewed Burklund in Nebraska in 2025, which led to his arrest that same day. He was then extradited to Colorado.
Burklund was 54 years old at the time of Bejarano's death.
At the time of his arrest, then-CBI Director Chris Schaefer, who was one of the original agents assigned to the case, said the arrest was "the culmination of years of tireless work by our investigators."
"No matter how old or complicated these cases are, our cold case team is dedicated to resolving the most difficult cases no matter how long it takes," he said.
Cece Merrow, Bejarano's mother, said she was grateful for the work that led to this arrest.
"There were so many twists and turns in her case, but we always had faith in the CBI," she said.
During Friday's court hearing, Judge Timothy Kerns rejected a request to continue the arraignment for a later date. The parties agreed to set a trial for Nov. 10-20, 2026.
Toward the end of the hearing, the defense noted that Yvonne "Missy" Woods was involved in the case, indicating that there is a possibility the DNA evidence had been manipulated.
Woods, 65, is a former CBI forensic scientist who is facing more than 100 felony charges related to the alleged mishandling of DNA evidence throughout much of her career.
Watch our most recent report on the Missy Woods case from December 2025 in the video below.
According to her arrest affidavit, she has not provided a reason for making the errors, saying: "It started happening again and I don't know when exactly it started happening again or why again. I got right back into my routine... I really don't know why I was doing it."
She faces 52 counts of forgery, 48 counts of attempting to influence a public servant, and one count each of perjury and cybercrime, for alleged misconduct that impacted more than 1,000 cases between 2008 and 2023.
Crime
Arraignment delayed for former CBI scientist accused of mishandling DNA evidence
Her previous arraignment was continued and the judge set a final one for Feb. 11.
Since her arrest, one conviction out of Boulder was vacated: Michael Clark was released from custody in April after he was convicted of a 1994 murder in 2012, where evidence from Woods was presented in the trial, as Denver7 previously reported.
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