Murder trial in Gilmer delays start for a day - KYTX CBS 19 Tyler Longview News Weather Sports

Murder trial in Gilmer delays start for a day

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GILMER (TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH) — The opening of testimony in the murder trial of Sharon Anne Maxwell was unexpectedly postponed today until 9 a.m. Tuesday due to the unavailability of a witness.

Her attorney, Gilmer lawyer Matthew Patton, said the postponement resulted "essentially" from inability to locate a defense witness, but that he could not elaborate because 115th District Judge Lauren Parish had sealed the matter. Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd was not immediately available for comment.

A 6-man, 6-woman jury was seated for the case last Monday. After swearing in 18 state witnesses, Judge Parish dismissed the jury until tomorrow, telling it that "there have been some scheduling issues that have arisen, and they didn't come up until this morning."

She also said she had been presented a motion for a continuance (delay) of the case, and was considering it.

The judge told jurors she still expected the trial to end this week because some matters could be streamlined. Byrd said last week he expected testimony to last through Friday.

Mrs. Maxwell, 44, of Ore City, is charged with shooting her 10th husband, 46-year-old Gordon Lynn Maxwell, last Aug. 30. Maxwell's body was found in a burned car at the couple's Ore City area home, but an autopsy showed he died from a gunshot wound, said Byrd.

Patton has said her defense will be that "she was not the shooter."

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