Caregiver pleads innocent in bizarre murder trial

Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2000 | 8:59 a.m.

Kelly Sue Hein entered the plea Monday in Carson City District Court. Judge Michael Griffin set a trial for April 10.

Hein is accused of killing Iris Barton. She was arrested in July after Barton's decomposing body was found in an upstairs bedroom of her upscale home in Carson City.

Police say the body had probably been rotting for two months. They say Hein allegedly drained Barton's bank accounts then either suffocated her or let her starve to death.

A former roommate testified at a pretrial hearing that Hein would bring Barton cigarettes and two gallons of vodka a week, but failed to feed the bedridden woman on a regular basis.

Carson City Sheriff's chief deputy Scott Burau said after the arrest that the case reminds him of the movie, "Psycho."

Ben Walker, Hein's court-appointed attorney, said he may ask to have the trial moved out of Carson City because of pretrial publicity.

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