An omnibus hearing scheduled in Koochiching County District Court Monday for murder suspect Carl Muggli was continued to 2 p.m. Sept. 16.
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.
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.
Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Alfred Zdrazil is assisting Koochiching County Attorney Jeff Naglosky in the prosecution of Muggli.
Muggli is expected to enter a plea following the omnibus hearing, when evidence and the investigation into the case is reviewed and a determination to proceed in the prosecution is made.
Muggli was surrounded by friends and family when he appeared in court Monday with his attorney Charles Hawkins of Minneapolis.
District Judge Chad LeDuc Monday granted Muggli’s request to change his release conditions.
Muggli was released on bail June 24 under an agreement that allows 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.
LeDuc 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.
Earlier, prosecutors sought a $1 million bail, which was later reduced by LeDuc.
Meanwhile, court documents show that the investigation into Linda Muggli’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.
The complaint also details attempts by county deputies and a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent to recreate the incidents surrounding the death of Linda Muggli. “Officers attempted five different times to make the pole come out of the cradle while rolling it and were unable,” says the complaint.
Muggli is not allowed to leave Koochiching County without permission, must submit to GPS electronic monitoring at his own expense, and be monitored by an agent of Arrowhead Regional Corrections.
