Nearly a decade after a Grand Junction woman disappeared, a man accused of kidnapping and killing her is about to stand trial in her death.
Jury selection began Monday in the trial of Lester Ralph Jones and is expected to take all week. He’s accused of killing Paige Birgfeld, a single mother who led a double life as a paid escort.
Prosecutors say he was a client and one of the last people to call Birgfeld before she vanished in 2007. Her remains weren’t found until 2012. Detectives questioned and ruled out at least eight other men, including an ex-husband and several other clients.
Defense attorneys for Jones say one of those men – who died in 2011 – could have killed Birgfeld. They say there’s no physical evidence tying Jones to Birgfeld’s death.
