Krystal Daniels trial delayed again for investigation, quarantine
The Krystal Daniels trial has been pushed back another month so the recent death of a witness can be investigated and so the district attorney can quarantine.
During online meetings Tuesday, Dickson County Circuit Court Judge David Wolfe said the trial needed to be delayed – but he didn’t extend the start date much longer.
“I don’t want to create an issue for Mrs. Daniels and her defense. Neither do I want to extraordinarily delay this trial,” Wolfe said.
In recent weeks, a Humphreys County man who testified in the Joseph Daniels trial was found dead. The witness, Daniel McCormick, said he saw someone who looked like “a teenager” wearing a T-shirt with a skeleton on it the night of Joe Clyde Daniels disappearance near the Daniels’ residence.
Krystal Daniels’ attorney, Mike Flanagan, said he was “concerned” about the investigation and wanted to hear findings.
District Attorney Ray Crouch said during the Zoom meeting that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe into the death was nearly complete and the autopsy would be finished by March.
Crouch also said he had recently tested positive for COVID-19 and was in the quarantine stage with Krystal Daniels’ trial originally scheduled to start next week.
Wolfe set her trial date for March 16.
Krystal’s husband Joseph Daniels was found guilty of murdering their son, Joe Clyde, in his trial last year. Krystal Daniels is charged with aggravated child abuse; conspiracy to commit aggravated child abuse or neglect; filing a false report; and tampering with evidence or fabricating evidence in relation to Joe Clyde's disappearance.
During the same hearing, Joseph Daniels’ attorney, Jake Lockert, said he was waiting on the investigation results as part of his motion seeking a new trial for Daniels.
“I don’t know that (the investigation is) going to have a great deal of relevance but certainly you are entitled to look into it however you want,” Wolfe said.
The hearing for a new trial for Joseph Daniels was set for March.
Related: Nashville DA Glenn Funk tests positive for COVID-19, delaying court hearing
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Krystal Daniels trial delayed for investigation, quarantine
