photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

William Klingler appears Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Douglas County District Court.

A parade of witnesses on Thursday presented a damning array of evidence against a driver accused of fatally striking a KU student with his truck and then fleeing the scene.

After the two and a half hours of testimony, Judge Stacey Donovan ordered the driver, William Klingler, to stand trial on one felony count of leaving the scene of a fatality accident. He is accused in the death of 20-year-old Elsa McGrain, of Nebraska, who was running in the 1700 block of East 1500 Road on the evening of Nov. 6, 2025.

photo by: Contributed

Elsa McGrain

A semi driver testified about how he spotted McGrain’s body in a ditch hours after she had been left there to die. An evidence technician testified about how the damage on Klingler’s Ford F-150 was consistent with having struck a person and about how she found pieces of a pair of headphones in his truck that matched pieces found on the road, as well as green fibers on the truck that were consistent with McGrain’s shirt. A detective testified about how he located human tissue on Klingler’s truck that a KBI lab report said was consistent with McGrain’s DNA. A friend of Klingler’s testified about how a “panicked” and “skittish” Klingler had said he had just struck a deer and needed help fixing his headlight, even though no deer remains were visible on the pickup. A different detective testified how Klingler proceeded to deliver a DoorDash burrito even after striking the “deer.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

William Klingler appears Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Douglas County District Court.