A judge will decide July 9 whether to move the trial of murder suspect Christopher M. Piersee.
Piersee, 24, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of his wife, 21-year-old Patricia “Tish” Yarbrough Piersee, and the beating death of their five-month-old son, Landon.
Police found the bodies Feb. 3 after being called to the family’s home at 409 N. Main in LaGrange by Tish Piersee’s father, Eric.
A Thursday hearing was continued because the prosecution and the defense have not agreed upon a site for the trial.
Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney Jules DeCoster also has filed a change of judge request.
At a previous hearing, witnesses described the ghastly murder scene and what they called Piersee’s odd behavior.
Authorities found Piersee naked in a bedroom of the family’s home with the bodies of his wife and son nearby.
Investigators found red crosses drawn in blood on both victims’ bodies.
Lewis County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Rob Power testified Piersee said he and his wife had a “ferocious battle” after they “spoke in tongues “ during sex the night before the murders and that Piersee knocked over a table and gathered weapons “because he knew the battle was ongoing.”
When Power asked if Piersee was responsible for the deaths, the suspect “started to speak in Biblical terms,” Power testified.
According to Power, Piersee called himself the archangel Michael and referred to his wife as Lucifer and his son as the Antichrist, then disavowed any responsibility for the deaths.
Power said the words “Lucifer” and “Michael” had been scrawled on the walls in blood, and that other words appeared to have been written in blood elsewhere.
Later, a blood-stained .357 magnum handgun was recovered from Piersee’s bed. A hunting knife was found in the dining room.
Piersee has been held without bond at the Lewis County Jail in Monticello since returning Feb. 27 from an exam at an undisclosed state facility.
The Piersees were married in 2007 in Burlington, Iowa, and moved to LaGrange last year.
If convicted, Piersee could be sentenced to the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
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A judge will decide July 9 whether to move the trial of murder suspect Christopher M. Piersee.
Piersee, 24, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of his wife, 21-year-old Patricia “Tish” Yarbrough Piersee, and the beating death of their five-month-old son, Landon.
Police found the bodies Feb. 3 after being called to the family’s home at 409 N. Main in LaGrange by Tish Piersee’s father, Eric.
A Thursday hearing was continued because the prosecution and the defense have not agreed upon a site for the trial.
Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney Jules DeCoster also has filed a change of judge request.
At a previous hearing, witnesses described the ghastly murder scene and what they called Piersee’s odd behavior.
Authorities found Piersee naked in a bedroom of the family’s home with the bodies of his wife and son nearby.
Investigators found red crosses drawn in blood on both victims’ bodies.
Lewis County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Rob Power testified Piersee said he and his wife had a “ferocious battle” after they “spoke in tongues “ during sex the night before the murders and that Piersee knocked over a table and gathered weapons “because he knew the battle was ongoing.”
When Power asked if Piersee was responsible for the deaths, the suspect “started to speak in Biblical terms,” Power testified.
According to Power, Piersee called himself the archangel Michael and referred to his wife as Lucifer and his son as the Antichrist, then disavowed any responsibility for the deaths.
Power said the words “Lucifer” and “Michael” had been scrawled on the walls in blood, and that other words appeared to have been written in blood elsewhere.
Later, a blood-stained .357 magnum handgun was recovered from Piersee’s bed. A hunting knife was found in the dining room.
Piersee has been held without bond at the Lewis County Jail in Monticello since returning Feb. 27 from an exam at an undisclosed state facility.
The Piersees were married in 2007 in Burlington, Iowa, and moved to LaGrange last year.
If convicted, Piersee could be sentenced to the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
