Criminal trials to watch and discuss - 2023 Edition

[ASHES]

Welcome to another year of trial watching.

We are still waiting for the Chad and Lori Vallow/Daybell case to start in Idaho, things have been slow going. This is a 2019 case that has crept along with motions for competency evals, conflicts of interest, motions to sever, and motions for change of venue. Currently, the trial was set to start this month, but that date was canceled past November, with no new date set.

Lori Vallow gives notice of alibi and Chad Daybell seeks delay in trial

Vallow gave a notice of alibi and her attorney asked the judge to not consider capital punishment in her case

www.deseret.com

Starting soon is another one I've been waiting a long time for, Sarah Boone, the suitcase boyfriend killer (not malicious!) Her trial has been delayed several times, but is now set to start January 30th, with a pretrial hearing on January 17th, in Florida.

Sarah Boone: Trial date announced for Winter Park woman accused of murder after boyfriend dies in suitcase | FOX 35 Orlando

Court officials have announced the new trial start date for Sarah Boone, a woman facing a murder charge after her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., was found dead in a suitcase at their Winter Park home in 2020.

www.fox35orlando.com

The first trial to start this year (that I'm watching) is the retrial of Mark Jensen in Kenosha Wisconsin. He was convicted in 2008 of the 1998 antifreeze poisoning of his wife. He was granted a retrial after a key piece of evidence, a letter written by his wife before she died, was ruled inadmissible on appeal. Opening statements in this trial start today, with a jury having already been seated this week.

Mark Jensen Kenosha murder trial: Jury seated

Jensen, now 62, was convicted in 2008 of killing his wife Julie Jensen at their Pleasant Prairie home in 1998. He’s getting a new trial after a key piece of evidence used to convict him – a letter from beyond the grave – was ruled inadmissible.

www.fox6now.com

Mark Jensen trial stream:


Letecia Stauch could also finally face trial in Colorado this year after many delays in the case where she allegedly killed her stepson Gannon Stauch in their home, then drove to Florida and dumped his body off an overpass. Her trial is scheduled for March 20th.

Trial set for Colorado woman accused of killing her stepson Gannon Stauch

Letecia Stauch, the woman accused of killing her stepson Gannon, has a trial date.

www.kktv.com

And of course, one we all hope to see happen this year sooner rather than later, the trial of Bryan Kohberger, the alleged mass murderer from Idaho that stabbed 4 college students to death.

Other trials to keep an eye on this year are the Alex Murdaugh trial for the murders of his son and wife and other charges (thanks @gboisjo)

Prosecutors say Alex Murdaugh killed wife and son to 'escape' accountability for financial crimes

"The reality is, as we've done this extensive investigation, we've realized that this was a white-collar case that culminated with two murders," a South Carolina prosecutor said.

www.nbcnews.com

and the third trial (two previous hung juries) of AJ Armstrong for allegedly murdering his parents (thanks @longview).

AJ Armstrong: 3rd trial for for Houston teen accused of parent's murders to begin in February after 2 hung juries | abc13.com

The%20grandparents%20of%20A.J.%20Armstrong%20spoke%20out%20after%20a%20pretrial%20hearing%20for%20the%2023-year-old%20who's%20facing%20a%20third%20murder%20trial%20for%20his%20parents'%20deaths.

abc13.com

Of course, if I've forgotten any, feel free to chime in.

 

[Lursa]

Happy New Year! The efforts of you and the others that follow these trials and provide us with updates is greatly appreciated.

 

[ASHES]

Happy New Year! The efforts of you and the others that follow these trials and provide us with updates is greatly appreciated.

Thanks! Happy New Year!

Today was pretty interesting in Jensen. Both sides gave good opening statements, but both irritated the judge by objecting at points in the others' opening. The state says he researched poison (and other methods) on the internet, and settled on antifreeze. Defense says she planned a suicide and framed him. That framing is a pretty tough sell though, when we've already heard a witness testify Mark told her husband he wanted to poison his wife with antifreeze. The case is built on lots of hearsay, like the original trial. All the hearsay admitted has some exception to the rule or other. Defense is objecting to a lot of it though, often successfully. This judge seems very aware that was the reason the case got sent back for retrial, and he doesn't want to get reversed either. At one point one of the prosecutors was so upset with a ruling against him he ended up shouting at the judge.

 

[multivita-man]

@ASHES, you oughtta check out Bruce Rivers Criminal Lawyer Reacts YouTube channel. He's a criminal defense lawyer in MN and he comments on high-profile cases, a majority of them involve rap artists b/c his son is a huge rap music fan. But he does comment on other high-profile cases. It's interesting to get his insights and he's usually bang-on in anticipating the outcomes. He'll hedge, too, when he's not sure.

 

[ASHES]

@ASHES, you oughtta check out Bruce Rivers Criminal Lawyer Reacts YouTube channel. He's a criminal defense lawyer in MN and he comments on high-profile cases, a majority of them involve rap artists b/c his son is a huge rap music fan. But he does comment on other high-profile cases. It's interesting to get his insights and he's usually bang-on in anticipating the outcomes. He'll hedge, too, when he's not sure.

I found him during Rittenhouse. He puts out a lot of content though, and about a lot of cases I don't follow, so I don't subscribe. But I do check out what he has to say on cases I'm following.

 

[Josie]

@ASHES, you oughtta check out Bruce Rivers Criminal Lawyer Reacts YouTube channel. He's a criminal defense lawyer in MN and he comments on high-profile cases, a majority of them involve rap artists b/c his son is a huge rap music fan. But he does comment on other high-profile cases. It's interesting to get his insights and he's usually bang-on in anticipating the outcomes. He'll hedge, too, when he's not sure.

He's okay. I like Peter from The Lawyer You Know more.

 

[ASHES]

He's okay. I like Peter from The Lawyer You Know more.

He did some streams on Sarah Boone recently, worth a watch, especially if you haven't seen the body am or interviews.

 

[Josie]

He did some streams on Sarah Boone recently, worth a watch, especially if you haven't seen the body am or interviews.

They're on my list to watch later.

 

[multivita-man]

He's okay. I like Peter from The Lawyer You Know more.

Guy looks like a drug dealer

 

[Josie]

Guy looks like a drug dealer

LOL, what? He's probably the farthest away you can get from that.

 

[multivita-man]

LOL, what? He's probably the farthest away you can get from that.

Didn't say he was one, just that he kinda looks like one.

 

[ASHES]

Day 3 of WI v Jensen beginning. More witnesses for the state today.

 

[gboisjo]

The first trial to start this year (that I'm watching) is the retrial of Mark Jensen in Kenosha Wisconsin. He was convicted in 2008 of the 1998 antifreeze poisoning of his wife. He was granted a retrial after a key piece of evidence, a letter written by his wife before she died, was ruled inadmissible on appeal. Opening statements in this trial start today, with a jury having already been seated this week.

Been following this one from the start, the antifreeze, sleeping pills, smothering case.

He's a weasel and a creep if you ask me. The letter not coming in hurts.

 

[Common Sense 1]

Thank you to our court reporter ASHES!

@ASHES

 

[ASHES]

The judge just gave the defense a lecture, they violated an order regarding the topic of todays witnesses' background, they had previously asked to bring it in, were denied, then brought it up anyway.

 

[EMNofSeattle]

Koeberger isn’t going to trial this year, I mean unless he moves for speedy trial, his attorney got a stay to make that decision in the arraignment. Even so apparently (and I am only going by what the judge verbally said) speedy trial means 6 months. In Washington generally a speedy trial is within 60 days of arraignment if requested, but in any event given this is likely to be a capital case I’d be surprised if the defense goes for a speedy trial. Though given it’s apparently 6 months in Idaho maybe that’s enough time for them to prepare. The problem is if they invoke speedy trial and he gets the death sentence there will be fewer grounds to appeal. They couldn’t argue they didn’t have time to prepare the defense if they moved for trial.

See the most damning piece of evidence against Koeberger is the knife sheath with his DNA in Goncalves’s room under her bed. The defense is going to want to file whatever motions they can get that evidence excluded, which will fail, then they need time to concoct a credible story about now he maybe knew her and partied in their house and in her room. That means waiting until the state has their case put together. The defense can’t prepare to try to explain this away in 6 months

 

[ASHES]

Koeberger isn’t going to trial this year, I mean unless he moves for speedy trial, his attorney got a stay to make that decision in the arraignment. Even so apparently (and I am only going by what the judge verbally said) speedy trial means 6 months. In Washington generally a speedy trial is within 60 days of arraignment if requested, but in any event given this is likely to be a capital case I’d be surprised if the defense goes for a speedy trial. Though given it’s apparently 6 months in Idaho maybe that’s enough time for them to prepare. The problem is if they invoke speedy trial and he gets the death sentence there will be fewer grounds to appeal. They couldn’t argue they didn’t have time to prepare the defense if they moved for trial.

See the most damning piece of evidence against Koeberger is the knife sheath with his DNA in Goncalves’s room under her bed. The defense is going to want to file whatever motions they can get that evidence excluded, which will fail, then they need time to concoct a credible story about now he maybe knew her and partied in their house and in her room. That means waiting until the state has their case put together. The defense can’t prepare to try to explain this away in 6 months

He's already waived speedy trial, he's now set for a preliminary hearing in June. We'll see if they're ready then.

 

[gboisjo]

Koeberger isn’t going to trial this year, I mean unless he moves for speedy trial, his attorney got a stay to make that decision in the arraignment. Even so apparently (and I am only going by what the judge verbally said) speedy trial means 6 months. In Washington generally a speedy trial is within 60 days of arraignment if requested, but in any event given this is likely to be a capital case I’d be surprised if the defense goes for a speedy trial. Though given it’s apparently 6 months in Idaho maybe that’s enough time for them to prepare. The problem is if they invoke speedy trial and he gets the death sentence there will be fewer grounds to appeal. They couldn’t argue they didn’t have time to prepare the defense if they moved for trial.

See the most damning piece of evidence against Koeberger is the knife sheath with his DNA in Goncalves’s room under her bed. The defense is going to want to file whatever motions they can get that evidence excluded, which will fail, then they need time to concoct a credible story about now he maybe knew her and partied in their house and in her room. That means waiting until the state has their case put together. The defense can’t prepare to try to explain this away in 6 months

It will be a couple of years before there's a trial IMO, the introductory, preliminary trial will be held in 6 months.

 

[EMNofSeattle]

It will be a couple of years before there's a trial, the introductory, preliminary trial will be held in 6 months.

I mean it’s possible that there’s much more evidence not in the arrest warrant. It’s actually possible that he’ll plead if a deal for no death penalty is made

 

[gboisjo]

See the most damning piece of evidence against Koeberger is the knife sheath with his DNA in Goncalves’s room under her bed. The defense is going to want to file whatever motions they can get that evidence excluded, which will fail, then they need time to concoct a credible story about now he maybe knew her and partied in their house and in her room.

Yup, they'll concoct as much bullshit as they can, that's what they do. It won't work.

In the the end the trial will boil down to the sentencing phase, life or death.

 

[gboisjo]

I mean it’s possible that there’s much more evidence not in the arrest warrant. It’s actually possible that he’ll plead if a deal for no death penalty is made

Absolutely, it's up to the families if any kind of deal is made for life.

As it stands now Kaylee's parents want death.

 

[gboisjo]

A couple of big trials coming up soon are the Delphi murder trial of two young girls.

And South Carolina vs Alex Murdaugh murder trial.

 

[gboisjo]

IMO Jensen never got over his wife's brief affair. Like the weasel he is he plotted and schemed against her for years.

Add to that his own affair and it was a done deal, kill the back stabber. Get her out of the way.

Thursday, prosecutors called the doctor who performed the autopsy on Julie Jensen. Dr. Michael Chambliss.

He testified there were signs of internal injuries caused by ruptured blood vessels.

After seeing crime scene photos, and finding antifreeze in Julie Jensen's body.

Chambliss ruled she did not kill herself – and that it was homicide.

Antifreeze, pills and finally smothering, I'm praying this POS is re-convicted.

 

[ASHES]

Small world, guess who the judge in the first trial of Mark Jensen was? A young Schroeder.


He makes a guest appearance during the testimony of witnesses unavailable for the second trial when they play the testimony from the first trial.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Welcome to another year of trial watching.

...

Of course, if I've forgotten any, feel free to chime in.

The trial of Christopher Schurr is scheduled for 13 March, just under two months from now.

Schurr, if you'll recall, is being tried for the murder of Patrick Lyoya in early 2022. Schurr was employed by the Grand Rapids, MI police when he pulled over Lyoya for having plates that did not belong to the car. Lyoya resisted, fled, fought with the officer, then gained control of Schurr's taser. At that point, Schurr used deadly force, shooting Lyoya and killing him.

Inexplicably, GRPD fired Schurr, despite not having violated any named policy and despite Schurr not deviating from the department's use of force policy. Even more inexplicably, a judge decided (punted the decision to a jury) there was enough evidence to try Schurr for murder.

Trial date set for ex-Grand Rapids police officer in fatal Patrick Lyoya shooting

A trial date has been set for the former Grand Rapids police officer charged with murder in the fatal shooting 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya during a traffic stop earlier this year.

www.clickondetroit.com