
A Monroe County judge has rejected a bid to move the trial of Marshella Chidester, a woman accused of fatally driving into a boat club while under the influence, killing two children. Chidester's attorney, Bill Colovos, claimed bias and heavy media coverage in Monroe County could prevent a fair trial; however, Judge Daniel White found no evidence to suggest an impartial jury couldn't be seated and stressed the role of voir dire in ensuring a fair process, The Detroit News reported.
Prosecutors have loaded Chidester, 67, with two second-degree murder charges and additional counts related to driving under the influence causing death and serious injury after the April 20 crash; Chidester, after consuming wine earlier that day, crashed into the Swan Boat Club, resulting in the tragic passing of siblings aged eight and four, her blood alcohol level registering more than double Michigan's legal limit, FOX 2 Detroit states, and even though her defense argues that a history of seizures contributed to the crash and that Chidester didn't intend on causing any harm the prosecution holds firmly to the presented evidence.
Colovos is also fighting to have evidence suppressed based on the claim that Chidester was not properly Mirandized and to call on her doctor, who is tangled in separate criminal charges, to testify on Chidester's neurological issues, Hoodline reported. However, in an unsurprising turn of events, Judge White denied halting the proceedings until the doctor's case concludes, agreeing with the prosecution that there are other means to introduce this evidence besides the testimony of the doctor accused of negligence.
Ahead of the trial, scheduled for March 3, there is a hearing set for February 10 to determine the fate of the pre-Miranda statements according to FOX 2 Detroit. Colovos remains determined to shift public perception and legal outcomes by disentangling his client's alleged medical condition from the web of her legal indictments. He has postulated a neurological disorder contributed to Chidester's vehicular mismanagement on that fateful day, these points to be disputed as the case marches on towards its judicature.