Carl Muggli could make first court appearance Friday
By LAUREL BEAGER
Editor
The criminal complaint against former Ray resident Carl Muggli alleges he was involved in a romantic relationship and had considered divorcing the wife he is accused of murdering.
Muggli, 49, now of Stockdale, Texas, was arrested in Texas Tuesday on second-degree murder charges in connection with the Nov. 26 death of his wife, Linda Muggli, 61.
Muggli waived extradition in Texas and was expected to arrive in Minnesota Thursday morning.
An initial appearance in Koochiching County Court is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday.
County Attorney Jeff Naglosky will likely prosecute the case. He said Wednesday that a first-degree murder charge requires premeditation, while a second-degree charge does not require premeditation.
The time span between Linda Muggli’s death and the arrest of her husband was a result of “a lengthy criminal investigation,” said Naglosky. “We wanted to make sure we had sufficient evidence before charging Mr. Muggli.”
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 Falls hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to the complaint.
The complaint alleges that Muggli gave several different explanations of what happened the day she died to law officials and others after Linda’s death.
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.”
For the complete story pick up a copy of The Journal Saturday
