Arthur Wayne Blood’s courtroom drama continued Monday as defense attorney Daniel Stephens sought to suppress letters the state said links Blood to a murder-for-hire scheme.

Blood has been in the Umatilla County Jail in Pendleton since his arrest for sex crimes on Jan. 15, 2008. He was present Monday in the courtroom of Presiding Judge Garry Reynolds at the Umatilla County Courthouse in Pendleton.

The state has accused Blood, 33, of sexually abusing underage teen girls, videotaping sex acts with them and later plotting to kill those same victims while he was in jail on sex crimes charges.

Monday’s hearing was continued from Aug. 6. During that hearing, a recording of a police interview with Blood revealed he believes he can beat most of the sex crimes he’s facing. Stephens wants to keep that tape and the letters out of any trial Blood may face.

Stephens tried to paint a scene that police had used an informant, Victor Marlette, to set up Blood.

Oregon State Police Detective Seth Cooney explained he had discovered a connection between Blood and Marlette, who had agreed to help police in the attempted murder case.

Cooney said he had told Marlette what content to include in letters to Blood but to write the letters in his own words. He then told the jail staff to watch for the letters and any response from Blood. When Blood wrote back, jail staff saved the letter and gave it to Cooney.

Stephens said because Cooney dictated the content of the letters, the court should exclude the evidence.

Blood testified most of what the police took in the search was in a brown bag he had marked as “legal mail.”

Reynolds said Stephens is going to make his position clear in a written motion. The judge gave Stephens until Sept. 11 to make the motion regarding the evidence. The state has until Sept. 23 to respond, and then Stephens will have until Sept. 30 to respond again. Then, Reynolds said, he will rule on allowing the letters or keeping them out of a trial.

Reynolds also set jury selection to begin Dec. 28, and Blood’s trial to start on Jan. 4, 2010. If that goes forward, Blood will have been in the Umatilla County Jail nearly two years.

– Phil Wright