ROCKVILLE —
An issue with evidence has stalled in the Parke County trial of Jeremy Musall, prompting a recess until next week.
Details about the issue were not stated in open court but Parke Circuit Judge Sam Swaim assured the 12-member jury that the case would resume Monday at 8:30 a.m.
The recess came around 3 p.m. after defense counsel for Musall questioned the chain of custody for cellular phones to be entered as evidence in the case, interrupting the testimony of Detective Chris Carter, a digital media recovery specialist for the Indiana State Police at Putnamville.
Musall, 28, of Cloverdale, has been charged with two counts of felony murder, and two counts of burglary resulting in bodily injury, rape and kidnapping, all class-A felonies, stemming from the August 2011 homicide of Joseph Snow at Rocky Fork Lake in southeastern Parke County.
Prior to the recess, the jury also heard from ISP Sgt. Jason Owen, who explained numerous photos of blood stains and blood spatters documented at Snow’s his girlfriend’s mobile home — the location where died.
Among the evidence documented at the scene was clothing stained with blood, a plastic bag containing several fragments of gray duct tape allegedly used to bind Snow, as well as photos of Snow’s body as it was found in a Putnam County cornfield a short time after allegedly being dumped there by Musall.
Owen said that as he was taking photographs of Musall during evidence collection, the defendant stated that his hands were sore from hitting Snow.
During a videotaped interview shown to the jury on Thursday, Musall stated that he had struck Snow several times with his own fists.
Testimony in the case began Tuesday. On Friday, Judge Swaim told the jury not to expect to deliberate on a verdict until this Tuesday.
The jury has already heard from several police officers investigating the case, as well as Musall’s ex-girlfriend, who was living with Snow at the time of the incident.
The Parke County Sheriff’s Department reported that on Aug. 13, a 911 call was received from a female at about 7:17 a.m. reporting a homicide. The woman identified Musall as the suspect, and said that she was in a vehicle following Musall’s vehicle because the suspect had taken her 20-month-old child with him.
The woman told police that Musall intended to dump Snow’s body in a creek. Musall’s vehicle was located by police on West Walnut Street Road in Putnam County, but he evaded police. He was later located and arrested at his mother’s home near Cloverdale. The child was found unharmed in the car.
The trial is scheduled to resume Monday.
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