A status conference is scheduled today as Judge William Martin continues the progression toward a trial for 65-year-old Charles Cook, who is accused of shooting to death 76-year-old Myrtle McGill in 1991 at her home on South 6th Street in Indiana.
There are a lot of moving parts in this case. The judge just two weeks ago appointed a new attorney for Cook after a conflict arose regarding one of the prosecution’s witnesses and Cook’s previous attorney. The judge still must rule on a number of issues raised by Cook’s previous counsel in an omnibus pretrial motions filing, including a motion to suppress statements made by Cook in 2016 after his arrest, a motion to dismiss the case based on the lengthy delay between 2007, when Cook’s DNA was linked to the case and his arrest nine years later, and several defense requests to suppress evidence.
The latest issue is Cook’s desire to file a motion requesting dismissal of the case based on the failure to provide him with a speedy trial. The law demands that a trial be held within 365 days of the criminal complaint being filed, but there have been numerous delays, including those requested by the defense.
Cook is charged with criminal homicide and robbery. He is a transient who was finally located in Minnesota in 2016 and extradited to Indiana County the following February.
