The murder trial of a man accused of killing his son nearly eight years ago and then hiding his body in the Colorado wilderness was declared a mistrial after members of the defense team started showing symptoms of coronavirus.
In a court hearing on Monday, the defense team for Mark Redwine told 6th Judicial District Judge Jeffrey Wilson they were concerned about possible COVID-19 infections. While one of the attorneys has since tested negative, results are pending for all of the others, according to the Colorado Gazette.
Justin Bogan, one of Redwine’s lawyers, argued that the defense would be forced to quarantine for between 10 and 14 days under state and federal coronavirus recommendations, making it impossible to carry out the legal proceedings.
Dylan was 13 years old when he vanished during a court-ordered visit with his father over Thanksgiving break. The teen, who attended Lewis-Palmer Middle School, was last seen alive on Nov. 19, 2012, in the Vallecito area.
His remains were found the following year and within 10 miles of Redwine’s home near Vallecito Reservoir in the Durango area. The boy’s skull showed signs of blunt force trauma.
Redwine was indicted in July 2017 after a search of his home turned up evidence of the boy’s blood. He was charged with second-degree murder and is facing up to 48 years if convicted.
The trial was also recently postponed in June after the coronavirus pandemic sparked a statewide moratorium on trials. Redwine was ordered to trial again last month after officials ruled masks and other safety guidelines were enough to protect against the global health crisis.
The legal proceedings were again delayed after Wilson last week said he woke up with minor coronavirus symptoms. The judge halted jury selections until Monday, when his second test came back negative.
Both Dylan’s family and prosecutors argued against further delaying the case.
“It makes me feel as victimized as I did in 2012 when Dylan went missing," his mother, Elaine Hall, told CBS Denver.
“I feel more helpless now than I did then. At least then I was searching… we were doing something. Now I can’t do anything. It’s a very helpless, hopeless feeling.”
The next steps in the case will be discussed at a hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday.
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