A motion to dismiss charges against
Steven Odegard has been denied by a Boston judge, gay weekly Bay
Windows reported, clearing the way for the defendant's murder
trial to proceed.
Police say Odegard killed 20-year-old
Daniel Yakovleff, an openly gay hair stylist, in a brutal knife
attack on January 17, 2008.
Officials found Yakovleff's remains
inside the third-floor Tuttle Street apartment where Odegard, 41 at
the time, was living. He was pronounced dead on the scene after
suffering multiple and severe stab wounds.
On the morning of his death, Odegard
placed the 911 call that brought police to his home but has remained
silent about his involvement, saying only that he's innocent. Police
say they believe the two men knew each other.
Defense attorney John Swomley's motion
to dismiss claimed that the District Attorney had misrepresented
evidence in the case, including DNA evidence. Judge Charles J. Hely
disagreed and denied the motion.
Yakovleff, a recent transplant to
Boston, was popular with his clients at the Liquid Hair Studio where
he worked. An overflowing crowd attended a memorial in Ashford,
Connecticut, Yakovleff's hometown, on January 22, 2008.