Blum pretrial held

    The pretrial of Washington resident James Dean Blum, 70, was held earlier today. The pretrial was an opportunity for the prosecution and defense to question the evidence that would be presented at the trial. The two sides agreed that any final motions will be heard on Sept. 27. The trial is set for Oct. 5.  

    Blum is charged with the second-degree murder of his wife Patricia Blum, who was found unresponsive in the couple?s home at 1009 East Washington Street on Jan. 11. Patricia Blum was later taken to the Washington County Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

    Blum?s attorney John Robertson objected to one of the witnesses the prosecution planned to call, and that was Cindy Niles.  

    ?It is our belief that her proposed testimony would be inappropriate,? said Robertson. ?It goes to prior bad acts and alleged bad behavior of Mr. Blum that goes back to the 1960s. We don?t think there is any relevance to it.?

    Washington County Attorney Barbara Edmonson, representing the state, said Niles?s testimony might be relevant to rebut other testimony heard at the trial.

    District Court Judge Joel Yates ruled that Niles would not be allowed to testify, but that the state may call her as a rebuttal witness.

    Edmondson wanted a ruling on whether it would be admissible to use a transcript of a video and audio recording of an interview Blum gave to investigators after his arrest. Robertson objected to redacting the interview and giving the jurors copies of the transcript. 

For the full story, see the Sept. 10 edition of The Washington Evening Journal