Yuma County murder trial goes to jury in Harder case

Jurors in Yuma County began deciding Wednesday whether Nicholas Harder is guilty of murder in the 2023 death of Anthony Jordinelli, or whether Harder’s claim that he acted in self-defense creates reasonable doubt. The 40-year-old defendant faced one count of first-degree premeditated murder and four counts of aggravated assault as the panel started deliberations after hearing opening statements, witness testimony, exhibits and closing arguments.

The case centers on the May 22, 2023, killing of 57-year-old Jordinelli at a home east of Somerton, near Avenue 3E and County 18th Street. The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded at about 2:05 p.m. to the 18100 block of South Avenue 3E, where Jordinelli was found with apparent lacerations and was pronounced dead at the scene. Harder was arrested and booked on first-degree murder.

Harder has remained in custody since his arrest in May 2023 and is being held at the Yuma County Adult Detention Center on a $1 million bond. He rejected a plea deal in April 2025, keeping the case headed toward trial and, ultimately, the jury room.

The jury’s task now is to sort through competing versions of what happened inside the residence. Harder told the court that Jordinelli attacked first and that he was trying to protect himself. He also denied that he planned or intended to kill Jordinelli. That defense turned the trial into a question of whether the confrontation was a sudden and violent escalation or a deliberate killing.

One of the prosecution’s most closely watched pieces of evidence came from audio recordings played in court. In one recording, Harder and a friend discussed what to do with Jordinelli’s body, a detail that prosecutors can point to as evidence of consciousness of guilt and that the defense must explain away. With the testimony now complete, jurors must decide whether the state proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

If the jury convicts Harder on the murder charge, the case will move into the next court phase for sentencing on the counts before the Yuma County court. If the panel rejects the state’s case, Harder could be cleared of the murder accusation and the community would be left with a different legal account of the killing that has shadowed Yuma County for nearly three years. Either way, the verdict will close one of the county’s most closely watched violent-crime trials.