Indiana County President Judge William Martin on Friday denied an amended defense motion to dismiss the homicide charge against Charles Cook, the drifter accused of murdering 76-year-old Myrtle McGill at her home along South 6th Street in Indiana in December of 1991.
Attorney Aaron Ludwig based his motion on the state’s law demanding a speedy trial. The case is bogged down right now in State Superior Court, which is considering prosecution appeals of Martin’s previous orders denying the admissibility of certain items of evidence, specifically Cook’s statements upon his arrest in Billings, Montana three days after McGill was killed. The district attorney is also asking the appellate court to reconsider the admissibility of Cook’s mental health records.
Cook is charged with criminal homicide and robbery. He was identified as a suspect in 2007 and finally located and arrested in Minnesota in 2016.
Meanwhile, a new case involving Cook has cropped up in Indiana County Court. He is charged with seven counts of criminal use of a communication facility on October 12th of 2018. He’s schedule for formal arraignment on those charges on October 1st.
