SHAKOPEE, Minn. - Jury selection in the second-degree murder trial of Charles Anthony Maddox Jr., 46, continued Wednesday in Scott County District Court in Shakopee, Minn.
After filling out and returning questionnaires on Tuesday, the prospective jurors were brought before the court, sworn in and asked to answer several follow-up questions about their responses under oath.
Some of the questions defense attorney Frederic Bruno asked potential jurors were: What is their opinion of using force in a self-defense situation; has the juror ever been falsely accused; do they believe the testimony of police officers is more credible than from other witnesses; and if put in the defendant's shoes, would they want themselves to serve on that jury?
A few of the questions jurors were asked by Criminal Division head of the Scott County Attorney's Office Neil Nelson were: Is a person entitled to leave a "bad" relationship; should a person in a "bad" relationship be protected by law enforcement; and does a person have the right to feel safe in their home?
Just before taking a recess for lunch, Judge Jerome Abrams made rulings on two motions that he felt needed a decision prior to the start of opening arguments in the case.
Abrams ruled that the defense will be allowed to have a psychiatrist give "no opinion" testimony explaining post traumatic stress disorder to the jury with respect to a person's response following a traumatic experience.
Nelson argued the ruling, stating that the testimony could confuse a jury as it goes to a diminished capacity argument that "may not be relevant" without a professional diagnosis of PTSD.
Abrams stated such testimony is an "undecided issue" in the appellate courts; therefore, attorneys should plan for the expert testimony to be allowed.
Abrams also ruled that the prosecution's motion for a Blakely Enhancement, which would seek an upward departure in sentencing if the trial results in a conviction, would move forward in a hearing following the trial. Abrams also noted that the Blakely Enhancement would be absolved if there is an acquittal in the case.
The rest of the motions filed by attorneys will be addressed as the case moves forward with testimony, Abrams said.
Jury selection continued Wednesday afternoon and into today. The trial is expected to last between two and three weeks.
For opening arguments to begin this afternoon is "really ambitious" at this point in the jury selection, Abrams said. Opening arguments in the trial will probably begin Friday morning, he said.
Maddox has been charged with second-degree murder by the Scott County Attorney's Office in the death of his 45-year-old wife, Shakopee Valley News reporter Ruth Anne Maddox. He has pleaded not guilty.
Co-workers reported Ruth Anne Maddox missing on Nov. 11. After Prior Lake police made three unsuccessful attempts to locate her, authorities executed a search warrant at the Maddox home, 16492 Timber Crest Drive in Prior Lake, at 3:17 a.m. on Nov. 12, 2008, and found the body of Ruth Anne Maddox in the garage of her townhome. The regional coroner ruled the death a homicide and reported that she died of blunt-force injuries to her neck and head.
A former Warsaw resident, Ruth Anne, 45, worked for the Times-Union from April 1, 1987, to July 8, 2003. During her tenure at the Times-Union, she covered general assignments, as well as police and courts under the bylines of Ruth Anne Lipka and Ruth Anne Long.
