MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The second day of testimony in the murder trial of Morgantown business owner Joseph Nevera accused of killing Kimberly Osborne and leaving her in a shallow grave back in May of 2024 presented more details of the relationship that was considered by nearly everyone involved to be a ticking time bomb.
Friends and family members of Osborne, who was murdered and left in a shallow grave after going missing on Mother’s Day back in 2024, testified in front of Monongalia County Circuit Court on Wednesday and all affirmed that Osborne’s relationship with Nevera was bound to end violently based on interactions that took place over several years. This was added with surveillance footage around the area where Osborne’s vehicle was last seen being driven by a person ahead of being suspiciously parked at Trope Hill and evidence that reflected Nevera’s involvement based on video evidence.
“There’ve been dozens of interviews, not just by myself, but by Sergeant Cooper and Corporal Sternart did an interview for me,” said Maidens. “There were multiple interviews conducted, and we tried to make sure that everyone’s story was the same, not always changing.”
Maidens completed his testimony that began on Tuesday, where he detailed the investigation that followed after the reported disappearance of Osborne back in May 2024 and the shallow grave where her body was located within 3 miles from the cabin where she was arranged to stay. This included bodycam interviews with Nevera that conflicted with the timelines of surveillance footage of a person appearing to be Nevera driving Osborne’s mother’s vehicle, the last vehicle the victim was seen driving, around the cabin that is located on a campground owned by Nevera. The car was followed by another vehicle that left their lights off during the interaction.
State Police Crime Scene Specialist Michael Kief, where it was stated that keys for Osborne’s vehicle were locked inside a compartment that required troopers to break in to in order to find the keys needed to start the ignition. All signs that, at the least, show that someone with familiarity of the property drove a vehicle driven by the victim to a suspicious location and locked the keys in a compartment with the doors unlocked. The vehicle of the victim, who reached a skeletal state at the time that her body was discovered around seven months after she was reported missing.
“(Saw the vehicle) earlier in the day, when there were trips made to the campground during the move,” said Maidens, describing surveillance footage that showed the vehicle driving into the campground. “And I also saw Kim’s truck leaving the campground later that evening with a Dodge pickup truck with headlights out following him.”
Star City resident Eric Lowder, the father of Osborne’s daughter, closed out testimony on Wednesday, where he, much like other people that associated with Osborne, affirmed that he saw signs that the relationship was turning violently south in the months leading up to her disappearance. While acknowledging the alleged drug use of Osborne that was stated by several other witnesses that took that stand, Lowder also stated that he noticed signs of domestic abuse as far back as 2023, with bruises noticed around Osborne’s body during various interactions ahead of her murder. Lowder, who separated from Osborne years before she met Nevera, expressed concern that one of those confrontations would turn deadly during those interactions and felt grave concern when she didn’t answer calls that she would normally answer even in states of intoxication.
“I had that weird feeling in my stomach, and she would always answer my calls,” said Lowder. “If I called more than one time, she would answer my call, we shared a kid together, and I would say, ‘Maddie (Madison),’ or someone wanted to talk to her or something,’ she would call immediately.”
The trial is set to continue Wednesday morning.