SCOTT COUNTY, Minn. - As the date of Charles Anthony "Tony" Maddox Jr.'s second-degree murder trial nears, his attorney has requested a change of venue, citing "prejudicial publicity" in the case.
In a motion filed Jan. 5, Charles Maddox's attorney, Frederic Bruno, states that a fair trial cannot be had in Scott County due to media exposure and because the woman Charles Maddox is accused of killing - Ruth Anne Maddox, who was a reporter with Southwest Newspapers - was a "well-known, well-respected and prolific newspaper reporter" in the county.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.
Charles Maddox faces second-degree murder charges for allegedly killing his wife on Nov. 11 or 12, 2008, at their townhouse at 16492 Timber Crest Drive.
The defense believes that Ruth Anne "developed many relationships and friendships within the local community, which will make the selection of an unbiased jury very difficult," Bruno wrote.
The Scott County Attorney's Office opposed the motion in a document also filed on Jan. 5, stating that Bruno's request to move the trial based on prejudicial media exposure was unfounded and contrary to the rules of criminal procedure and law.
