Koochiching County District Judge Charles LeDuc is expected to issue a ruling on a request by murder suspect Carl Muggli to travel to Texas to put personal matters in order.

Muggli has asked that he be allowed seven to 10 days to travel to Texas, where he has a lease on a residence that runs out at the end of October. He has asked the court to allow him to secure or sell his personal property, which includes equipment he moved to Texas from Minnesota that he uses to carve totem poles.

Muggli has not yet entered a plea in the second-degree murder charge after he was arrested June 7 in Texas in connection with the Nov. 26 death of his wife, Linda.

Muggli appeared in court Tuesday on the request. His attorney Charles Hawkins, Minneapolis, and Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Alfred Zdrazil took part in the hearing by telephone. Muggli is scheduled to appear in court on a continued omnibus hearing in September.

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 released on bail June 24 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.

Hawkins argued that Muggli would continue to be monitored by a GPS unit while driving to and from Texas. He also said Muggli’s nephew would accompany him to and from Texas and serve as a third party custodian during the trip. Muggli, he said, could report twice a day to Texas law enforcement during his time in Texas.

But Zdrazil, who is assisting Koochiching County Attorney Jeff Naglosky in prosecuting the case, said the risk that Muggli may remove the GPS unit from his body and abscond in transit was too great to grant the request.

LeDuc noted Tuesday that a hearing on a harassment order stemming from an alleged visit by Muggli to his former property has been sought by the current property owners.

But Hawkins said the visit was a part of settling the purchase agreement and should not affect the request to travel to Texas.

Zdrazil suggested Muggli’s nephew, who lives in Texas, handle his uncle’s personal matters for him without Muggli traveling to Texas.