Meier appears in court for murder charges

EPHRATA - Accused killer Michael Meier appeared in Grant County Superior Court on Monday after prosecutors stated they had "new discovery" in his case.

Prosecutor Angus Lee would not say what the discovery involved. He said he could not comment about the case before it went to trial.

Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz set the trial date for Aug. 27.

Meier is charged with the shooting death of Brandon Mende, who was killed at a house party on Turnkey Road in Moses Lake on Feb. 16.

Several members of the courtroom audience wore "In Loving Memory of Brandon Mende" T-shirts and had boxes of facial tissue on their laps during the brief proceeding.

Last month, prosecutors issued a warrant for a material witness involved in the case. The witness is an adult said to have been present at the house party, but left when gun shots were fired. The witness was found by law enforcement April 19 and released three days later.

Meier is charged with illegal possession of a firearm, witness tampering and murder.