ROCKVILLE —
Testimony begins today in the Parke County murder trial of Jeremy Musall, 28, of Cloverdale, who stands accused in the August 2011 homicide of Joseph Snow.
Five days have been allotted for the trial. Jury selection began Monday morning and concluded shortly after 3 p.m. An evidentiary hearing followed to determine admissibility of some taped interviews conducted by police on the day Musall was arrested.
Judge Sam Swaim ruled that the interviews can be admitted, even though a 22-minute portion of the statement by Musall was not video recorded due to an error.
Musall has been charged with two counts of murder, two counts of burglary resulting in bodily injury, rape and kidnapping.
The first murder charge alleges that Musall killed Snow at a woman’s home in southeastern Parke County. The second murder charge alleges that Musall killed Snow while in the act of committing another felony, such as burglary, rape or kidnapping.
The Parke County Sheriff’s Department has reported that on Aug. 13, 2011, a 911 call was received from a female at about 7:17 a.m. reporting a murder. 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 body of Snow was found in a cornfield west of Greencastle.
According to court documents filed in the case, Musall went to the woman’s home around 1 a.m. on Aug. 13 and entered the dwelling while Snow and the woman were asleep in bed. The woman, who had a prior relationship with Musall, told police that the suspect beat her and Snow severely, and bound Snow with duct tape around his hands and feet, and wrapped an electrical cord around his ankles and beat him with various objects. The woman also stated that she saw Musall poke Snow several times with a knife, and she never saw Snow again regain consciousness.
The document states that the woman told police she had been beaten and raped by Musall, who then collected the cell phones in the home, wrapped Snow’s body in a blanket and put it in the trunk of his vehicle.
The woman also said that Musall placed a knife to her child’s throat and threatened to kill her child, then put the child in the vehicle and instructed her to follow them away from the scene in her own vehicle. The woman said she found Snow’s cell phone earlier and had hidden it in her pants. She was able to call police during the drive to Putnam County.
Musall is being represented by public defenders James Alan Bruner and Michael G. Stites, while the prosecution is being handled by Parke County Prosecutor Steven Cvengros and deputy prosecutors Kevin Stalker and James Hanner.
News
Jury selected as Parke murder trial gets started
- News
-
-
Kindergartner diagnosed with MD treated to a day with the fire department
“He’ll just never forget this day,” Stacey Manley said, a little bit tearfully, as she watched her smiling 6-year-old son Carter sitting happily in the captain’s seat of Fire Engine 2.
-
Casey, Illinois aims for another world record
The town of Casey, Ill., may soon weave its way into the record books as the small town with the most world records. After setting records for the world’s largest wind chimes and the world’s largest golf tee, Casey is now looking to become home to the world’s largest knitting needles and crochet hook.
-
Rose-Hulman projects will promote growth, learning for people with physical challenges
Life changed dramatically for college engineering student Drew Christy on Feb. 22, 2008 when he was involved in an auto accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
-
‘500’ gas stations being sold to Speedway LLC
After several decades in business, the area’s familiar “500” gasoline stations and convenience stores will soon be missing from the roadsides of Vigo and Sullivan counties.
-
Terre Haute woman faces 14 charges
A Terre Haute woman faces 14 criminal counts after her arrest Friday on drug-related charges.
-
Two adults injured in ATV accident
Two adults were injured Sunday evening while riding an all-terrain vehicle near Lexington Farms Subdivision off Moyer Drive in southern Vigo County.
-
Vigo schools’ medical claims down 4 percent
The Vigo County School Corp.’s medical claims were about $13 million over the last 12 months, down 4 percent from the prior year, said Diane Titchenell, an Anthem account manager that works with the school district.
-
2013 Government Directory now available
The 2013 Government Directory is now available.
-
Life-Size Ping Pong: Valley pickleball tourney draws large crowd to Brittlebank Park
It’s been described as “ping pong on steroids.”
Some people call it “life-size ping pong where you stand on the table.” -
Boat trip aims to raise awareness about Lewy Body Dementia
In 2013, the Year of the River, it makes sense to link a grand adventure on the Wabash River with a good cause.
-
Legislature had little taste for alcohol bills
When it comes to alcohol, the 2013 legislative session may be marked more by what it didn’t do to boost booze sales than what it did.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Is it regulation that doesn’t make sense or evening the playing field?
I’m not much of a drinker, so I haven’t spent much time thinking about how Indiana’s alcohol laws personally impact me, but that changed last fall when my daughter got married.
-
For Piper: Annual ‘Rush the Punter’ event dedicated to Dixie Bee student who died Wednesday after a short illness
Steve Weatherford’s “Rush the Punter” fundraiser at Fairbanks Park on Saturday was dedicated to a little girl who lost her life unexpectedly to pneumonia.
-
Vigo schools prepare to tighten belts
State funding for the Vigo County School Corp. will remain “pretty flat” for the next two years, said Donna Wilson, chief financial officer.
-
Veterans take to the trees
Cristal Bednar took photos of her husband, Justin, as he laboriously climbed his way up a “Dangle-Duo” to get to a zipline at Indiana State University’s Sycamore Outdoor Center.
-
Property owner seeks halt to Hulman Lake dam project
A Terre Haute property owner is seeking an injunction that would at least temporarily halt the city’s work on the Hulman Lake dam project.
-
Tornado veterans balance preparedness, practicality
Few things in nature are less predictable than a tornado. They can form quickly. They strike weirdly, leveling one building while leaving its neighbor untouched. They can fling a car a half-mile and turn a piece of lumber into a wall-piercing missile.
-
ISU unveils interactive Bayh Family Legacy Wall at school
A who’s who of Indiana Democrats paid tribute to Evan Bayh and several generations of the Bayh family Friday during a dedication of a new interactive display at Indiana State University.
-
Can you smell me now?
A contraband cell phone has been discovered by the Vigo County Jail’s youngest and most unique officer.
-
GIVING BACK: Steve Weatherford buys shoes for kids day before charity run
Terre Haute’s Steve Weatherford, punter for the 2012 Super Bowl champion New York Giants, showed once again his generosity Friday by donating new athletic shoes to more than two dozen Vigo County kids.
-
N.Y. Giants honor Weatherford as ‘Man of the Year’
Dan Tanoos, superintendent of Vigo County schools, remembers the first time he saw Steve Weatherford as a freshman at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
-
Sunday recital at The Woods
A recital featuring songs from well-known composers is at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
-
Police investigating rash of car window shootings
Terre Haute Police are investigating a rash of shootings that have shattered car windows throughout the city.
-
City hospitals get passing grades for patient safety
Two Terre Haute hospitals have been ranked for patient safety by an independent organization that assesses safety, quality and affordability of healthcare for Americans.
-
Three from Operation Turn and Burn sentenced in federal court
Three co-conspirators in a Wabash Valley methamphetamine trafficking ring were sentenced this week to several years in federal prison.
-
Skateboarders, BMX bike riders working to improve area of city park they use
The sound of small wheels rolling across smooth concrete fills the air, accented by the clacking noise of a wooden skateboard coming to an instant stop on a metal edge before rolling on again.
-
Indiana State to host 2014 MVC baseball tourney
Build it… and they will come. The Missouri Valley Conference and Indiana State University made that famous line from the movie “Fields Of Dreams” reality Thursday.
-
Overlay recommended for 812 area code
The state agency that represents Hoosier utility customers is calling for a ten-digit solution to southern Indiana’s vanishing supply of 812 area code telephone numbers.
-
Elementary school saddened by student’s death
A 9-year-old Dixie Bee Elementary student died unexpectedly Wednesday evening as the result of pneumonia, said Vigo County Coroner Susan Amos on Thursday.
-
Vermillion CSX crossings undergoing maintenance
CSX maintenance crews are working on railroad crossings between Dana and Chrisman, Ill. this week and next, a CSX official said Thursday.
- More News Headlines
-





