The jury trial was delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak, despite an objection by the defense, according to a court document.
Woman indicted after grandmother’s body found in plastic tub in Dayton home
Lauhon-Wheeler pleaded not guilty and is incarcerated in the Montgomery County Jail on $50,000 bond.
And it’s her incarceration that prompted defense attorney John Pinard to object to the postponement, he said.
On March 16, Montgomery County Court judges issued an order that all jury trials would be suspended for a period of 30 days. Now the trial against Lauhon-Wheeler is scheduled for July 27, according to court documents.
Pinard told the Dayton Daily News that he and his team understand the significant issues surrounding COVID-19 and hosting a jury trial. However, he said that his client still has rights, including the right to a speedy trial.
“This is of no fault of my client. She has to sit there longer,” Pinard said.
He said the defense decided to object to the postponement to protect the record in case there is a need to file an appeal down the road. He said, however, that “unique plea bargaining” is happening, and it remains to be seen whether a trial will take place at all.
Pinard did seek a reduction in bond late last month, but that motion was denied by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Richard Skelton.
Lauhon-Wheeler’s legal troubles began on Jan. 31, 2019, when Mary Alice Lauhon was found in a Virginia Avenue basement after Megan Lauhon, Mary’s granddaughter, called 911 from North Carolina.
“I’ve already called before, and they thought I was crazy when I called, and I wish that I was crazy,” she told 911 dispatchers.
Megan said she was contacted by a friend of her sister, Lauhon-Wheeler, who told her that their grandmother was “deceased and in a freezer in the basement of a home in Dayton, Ohio,” according to a court affidavit.
The resident of the Virginia Avenue home reportedly told investigators that Lauhon-Wheeler lived with her briefly and that she stored some personal items in the garage and basement.
While in the “coal room” of the basement, police found a plastic tub that contained a body, later confirmed to be Mary, according to the affidavit. A preliminary autopsy did not reveal any signs of injury or trauma.
The autopsy report said Mary weighed only 66 pounds, was curled into the fetal position and was only wearing socks and a disposable diaper. Plastic bags and clothes were piled on top of her body. The plastic tub was not in a freezer, as initially reported.
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The report did not have an estimate as to when Mary died, but it did state that her body was badly decomposed and partially mummified. The grand theft and misuse of credit cards charges were related to Social Security benefits, according to the indictment.
Pinard declined to comment on the specifics of the case as it is ongoing.
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