CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The trial of a man accused in a 2013 Harrison County quadruple homicide is still on pace to begin next month after a pretrial hearing Friday.
Sidney Arthur Muller, 29, Muller is accused of killing Christoper Hart and Todd Amos at a home on Locust Ave. in Clarksburg during July 2013, while allegedly trying to collect a $10,000 debt for pills he had provided.
He is then alleged to have shot and killed Freddy and Fred Swiger, a father and son who were delivering newspapers outside of the home.
On Friday, Harrison County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Bedell went through nearly nine written motions, mostly filed on behalf of the defendant.
One such motion that sparked discussion would have allowed the jury to view the crimes scene outside of the residence with markers labeling the location of those involved in the incident. The jury would then have been able to step inside the residence.
Neither Judge Bedell nor Harrison County Assistant Prosecutor Susan Morris had any objection to the jury looking at the crime scene from the outside, but worried a look inside would be misleading as it has changed significantly in just over two years.
The defense argued they were only wanting to let the jury get a feel for the dimensions of the room.
Bedell ultimately granted the motion to outside jury view, but denied the inside view.
Another motion filed by the defense requested the court accept depositions for two witnesses they described as vital to their case.
The argument made was securing these out-of-state witnesses for the trial had not yet been solidified and that depositions were accepted in some circumstances.
The state countered that depositions would not serve as substantial evidence and there are procedures in place to secure witnesses.
Judge Bedell sided with the state and denied the motion.
A third major motion presented to the court Friday dealt with a request from the defense to suppress evidence related to the fingerprint/palm print analysis of a rubber glove found the night of the incident.
The state explained it would be used to present the case that Muller’s alleged acts were done so deliberately and were premeditated.
However, the defense argued that the report took a year before it came into their plans and was incomplete once received.
For these reasons, Judge Bedell granted the motion and the evidence will be suppressed.
After going through all of the motion, the court went through clarifications of orders previously issued, took care of “housekeeping” in regard to tasks that must be accomplished before the trial begins and Judge Bedell went over how the court will proceed in the trial to Muller.
The trial is set to begin on August 17 and is anticipated to last two weeks.