District Court Judge Charles LeDuc is expected to rule on a number of motions brought by the prosecution in the Carl Muggli first-degree murder case, which will be tried in Bemidji.
Wednesday's pretrial hearing had been scheduled to be held in Duluth, but was conducted at the Koochiching County District Court in International Falls.
Muggli remains in custody at the Koochiching County Jail on $2 million bail in connection with the Nov. 26, 2010, death of his wife, Linda, 61. Carl and Linda Muggli, married 24 years, were apparently carving a totem pole on their 20-acre property near Ray when she was injured by the totem pole. She was taken to the International Falls hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to the complaint. Muggli was arrested June 7, 2011, in Texas.
Muggli was indicted on premeditated first-degree murder and intentional second-degree murder by a Koochiching County Grand Jury July 30.
Koochiching County Attorney Jeff Naglosky said the pretrial hearing was conducted to discuss a number of the 21 motions brought by the prosecution.
“We need rulings from the pretrial so we know to have witnesses prepared, arrange travel for witnesses coming from out of state and what to do going forward,” he said.
The discussions Wednesday included that jury selection will begin Jan. 14 and the testimony in the case is expected to begin Jan.23, said Naglosky.
LeDuc took motions under advisement on issues that could not be resolved during Wednesday's 1 ½ hour pretrial hearing, according to Naglosky.
Naglosky is being assisted in the prosecution by Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Robert Plesha; Muggli, who was in court for the pretrial hearing, is being represented by Twin Cities Attorney Charles Hawkins. Both attorneys were in court Wednesday for the hearing.
Among the motions discussed at the hearing was a request that the court compel the defense to disclose any witnesses it plans to bring to the trial; the defense agreed to have a witness list to the prosecution by Dec. 28.
The judge took under advisement a request by the prosecution for a court order that any witness or evidence not disclosed by the Dec. 28 deadline be prohibited from testifying or entering into the trial.
The defense has asked that the court sequester witnesses, so that one cannot hear another while testifying. Naglosky said the judge will likely grant that request with exceptions for Sheriff Brian Jespersen, the lead investigator in the case, and Linda Muggli's sister, Susan Nicholson. Naglosky said the prosecution asked that Jespersen and Nicholson be allowed to attend the full trial.
The complaint against Muggli alleges that after Linda’s death, he gave several different explanations to law officials and others of what happened the day she died.
Court documents also show that the investigation into Linda’s death deepened after a “concerned citizen,” an International Falls woman, pointed to entries made on a Facebook account which appeared to be “very intimate in nature” with a woman in Alabama.
A search warrant obtained computer equipment from the Muggli residence and revealed conversations between Muggli and a person with whom it appears he was having a romantic relationship.
The computer also revealed that Muggli had been seeking information about real estate in Texas and mentioned just one day prior to Linda’s death “my current situation — divorce — will not allow buying.”
In executing a search warrant of the Muggli residence the month following Linda’s death, officers found that the carving had been completed on the totem pole involved in Linda’s death and it had been stained or polyurethane-coated.
