Evidence gathered against murder suspect Carl Muggli may be used in his prosecution, Judge Chad LeDuc ordered June 21, according to Koochiching County court staff.
Muggli, 50, was arrested June 7, 2011, and charged with intentional second-degree murder in the Nov. 26, 2010, death of his wife, Linda, 61, who died of head trauma.
He is accused of using a totem pole the couple was constructing at their Ray-area home in her death, according to court documents.
Muggli has not yet entered a plea to the charge. As of Thursday, no court appearances or hearings involving the case are scheduled, according to the Koochiching County Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the case with assistance from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
In December, Muggli’s attorney Charles Hawkins, Minneapolis, challenged evidence gathered by Koochiching County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Since that time, no action in the case has occurred.
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.
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” pointed to entries made on a Facebook account which appeared to be “very intimate in nature.”
A search warrant obtained computer equipment from the Muggli residence and revealed conversations between Carl Muggli and a person with whom it appears he was having a romantic relationship.
Muggli was released on bail June 24, 2011, under an agreement that allowed him to pledge a property bond for a parcel of Ray property he sold for $165,000 on contract for deed with an outstanding mortgage balance of about $80,000. Muggli posted an additional unsecured appearance bond in the amount of $500,000. Under the terms of the agreement, he was released to the custody of his sister, Helen Wallander, of the Falls, and must wear a GPS monitor.
LeDuc later agreed to allow Muggli to leave Koochiching County to work in the Kabetogama area, saying that Kabetogama, just outside the county’s boundaries, is a part of the larger Borderland community and that Muggli had worked in that area previously.
Prosecutors sought a $1 million bail, which was later reduced by LeDuc.
