Davis Double Murder Case Going To Trial On Schedule, Despite Dueling Attorneys
The trial of Daniel Marsh, 17, of Davis, as an adult is set to begin on Monday August 25 in Yolo Superior Court after many delays.
The head prosecutor in the Davis double homicide case has demanded that defense attorneys be sanctioned (fined) by the court, stating that they have failed to hand over to the Yolo District Attorney’s office discovery materials as California law requires.
Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Cabral made the demand in Yolo Superior Court on August 18 during a “Trial Readiness” conference held in the court. Marsh stands accused of fatally stabbing Oliver “Chip” Northup, 87, and his wife Claudia Maupin, 76, in their Cowell Boulevard condominium last year.
Currently, the conflict between Cabral and Yolo Deputy Public Defender Ron Johnson concerns the report prepared by a defense expert witness, Dr. James Merikangas, a neurologist and psychiatrist based out of Maryland. The report, Cabral argued, “lists quite a bit of information that I do not have.” Merikangas’s report includes results of an MRI scen of Marsh’s brain, transcripts of interviews with his family and psychological records.
Judge David Reed did not order Johnson to be fined. However, he noted at the August 18 conference that he himself had not received a psychiatric evaluation of Marsh related to his changed plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. One of the reasons the trial has been delayed several times is that Marsh had changed his plea in June. Other delays have been caused by attorneys needing continuances to adequately prepare their cases.
Defense Attorney Ron Johnson did not comment on the fines proposed by Cabral.
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