× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

A judge decided a Broken Arrow man can stand trial for murder in the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend following a hearing in which the man’s attorney claimed the woman was shot due to an accidental firearm discharge.

Konner James Brunner, 22, is charged with first-degree murder based on allegations he killed 21-year-old Lauren Kidd on Oct. 27 and disposed of her body in a recycling bin. Kidd’s family reported her missing Oct. 30, and her body has not been found.

Broken Arrow police took Brunner into custody Nov. 2 after interviewing him for at least five hours and discovering his Dodge Dart sedan had stains they believed were from human blood. The agency released a statement Jan. 25 indicating it confirmed Kidd was the source of biological material found during a search in November at a paper mill in the McCurtain County town of Valliant, which is three hours away from the site of her reported death.

“He told her to get out of the car. She refused,” said Brunner’s attorney, MJ Denman, in court Wednesday afternoon of the incident. “And the gun accidentally discharged and shot her.”

Later, Denman said the prosecution could not prove the necessary elements of first-degree murder because, as her body hasn’t been recovered, there is no medical examiner’s report.