The trial for a Knox man accused of beating his wife to death at their rural California Township home, kidnapping an employee from the Mark Bailey’s parking lot, stealing a second car in English Lake and leading authorities on a high-speed chase through four counties last June is still on schedule to start in April.
Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall has set aside two weeks for Gary Chavez’s trial. It’s due to start April 13. During a Wednesday morning pretrial conference, Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff and Chavez’s attorney both advised they are on track, with no delays anticipated. They have two depositions scheduled tomorrow and are trying to arrange a third one for Monday. Bourff is also attempting to retrieve records from an iPhone that belonged to Chavez with an iPhone back glass repair professional. His iPhone was badly damaged from a high fall. He says Indiana State Police technicians were unable to successfully retrieve the information. A detective from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department is going to take the device to an Apple store in a last-ditch effort to get the data.
Chavez shot himself in the face when police attempted to stop his vehicle on Interstate 65 near Crown Point on June 6 and is due to have another surgery soon . His attorney assured the judge she will coordinate schedules with the Starke County Jail Commander to ensure there is not a conflict with the trial schedule. Judge Hall set a final status hearing for Friday, March 13 at 9 a.m.
