Hutchinson ? The Kansas Court of Appeals ruled Friday there was enough evidence to put a Sterling man on trial for the June 2000 death of his ex-wife.

On what would have been Crystal Casey’s 26th birthday, the appellate court ruled Reno County District Judge Steve Becker erred in 2001 when he refused to bind Trevor Corbett, 28, over for trial for first-degree murder.

Casey was found strangled June 26, 2000. Corbett, Casey’s first husband, was charged in May 2001 with first-degree murder.

On Aug. 27, 2001, Becker refused to bind Corbett over, saying the state’s DNA evidence was insufficient to establish probable cause that Corbett was the killer.

“At Corbett’s preliminary hearing, the state presented identification testimony, DNA evidence and fingerprints, all implicating the defendant,” the appellate court wrote. “Although the evidence was not overwhelming, we believe it was more than adequate to support a finding of probable cause and to bind over Corbett for trial.”

Corbett and his attorney, Mike Holland of Russell, have 30 days to ask the Kansas Supreme Court to review the case. Holland was out of the office Friday and couldn’t be reached for comment, and Corbett declined comment.

The result of Friday’s ruling could be a lengthy trial, said Reno County Dist. Atty. Keith Schroeder, featuring testimony from new DNA experts the county plans to bring in.

“I clearly recognize the fact that this is a difficult case,” Schroeder said.