Notes for the first Monday of the month
Jury selection starts in first trial connected to alleged plot that eventually led to shooting of a judge. West Lafayette, county line up County Road 425 North. Hanna Center demolition costs. More.
Support for Based in Lafayette comes from Purdue Convocations, presenting “Menopause The Musical 2: Cruising Through ‘The Change’” on Saturday, April 25. Reuniting four unforgettable friends on a cruise ship adventure, the show celebrates friendship while tackling hot flashes, mood swings, memory lapses and more — set to a soundtrack of clever parodies of hits from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Catch the laughter and heart in both a MATINEE and EVENING performance!
Thanks, also, to Stuart & Branigin for continued support of the Based in Lafayette reporting project.
Several things to watch early this week …
JURY SELECTION MONDAY IN CASE TIED TO ALLEGED PLOT TO DERAIL TRIAL
Jury selection is scheduled to start late Monday morning in a felony bribery trial of Amanda Milsap, a Lafayette woman accused of conveying an offer from her ex-husband, Thomas Moss, in an alleged effort to sidetrack a trial he faced in January.
Milsap’s case is the first for anyone charged in connection with a larger scheme that eventually led to the Jan. 18 shooting of Tippecanoe County Superior Court 2 Judge Steve Meyer. Four others, including Moss, face charges of attempted murder and as many as a dozen other charges in an alleged scheme conspirators thought would sidetrack Moss’ other trial.
Milsap’s charges specifically keep her distanced from the attempted murder, based on pre-trial accounts leading up to this week’s trial. And Judge Meyer and Kim Meyer – also injured in the shooting at their Lafayette home – are not on the witness list.
But three of the four people charged with attempted murder – Moss, 43, of Lafayette; Nevaeh Bill, 23, of Lafayette; and Raylen Ferguson, 38, of Lexington, Kentucky – have all been ordered to testify or face contempt charges.
Watching today: Will the court be able to get a jury in Tippecanoe County? Cass County Superior Court 2 Judge Lisa Swaim, assigned to all the cases as a special judge, did not grant a change of venue requested by Milsap’s attorney, Earl McCoy. Instead, she’s giving a chance to seat a jury Monday. If that doesn’t work, given the attention given to the crimes, she will move to her home court Tuesday to try again to get a jury from Cass County.
