MINOT, N.D. (AP) - Prosecutors and defense attorneys are arguing over which judge should handle the case of a Minot woman accused of helping her husband plan and cover up the killing of his ex-wife.
A hearing on a motion to swap judges for the trial of Cynthia Wilder is scheduled for July 5. This is the second request to change the judge assigned to the case.
Wilder was arrested in May and charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the 2015 death of Angila Wilder, the Minot Daily News (https://bit.ly/2rJ0UrC ) reported. The 26-year-old is also charged for helping her husband, Richie Wilder, in his attempted escape from the Ward County Jail in August 2016.
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Richie Wilder was sentenced in December to life in prison for the killing of his ex-wife.
Judge Gary Lee presided over Richie Wilder’s trial and was also assigned to Cynthia Wilder’s case. However, the defense filed a motion requesting a different judge. But once the case was reassigned to Judge Stacy Louser, prosecutors asked for a different judge.
Defense attorney Patrick Waters said prosecutors didn’t file the motion in good faith and are “judge shopping.” Prosecutors denied the allegation.
“The demand in this case was filed in good faith belief of the inability of the state to obtain a fair trial before the assigned judge,” Ward County Deputy State’s Attorney Kelly Dillon wrote in a response last week.
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Information from: Minot Daily News, https://www.minotdailynews.com
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