Dr Husel case in duties of former judge turned prosecutor Janet Grubb dispatch.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dispatch.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Holbrook set the date Monday during a Zoom video conference with prosecuting and defense attorneys. Husel, who has been free on $1 million bond since shortly after his arrest, listened in on the hearing but didn t speak.
Holbrook said he has about 20 other murder cases on his docket due to the backup caused by the pandemic, and defendants who are in jail and want a trial have priority, meaning he won t be available to try Husel s case this year.
Each of the 25 counts of murder represents a separate intensive-care patient whom investigators allege died of an overdose of pain medication while under Husel s care in Mount Carmel Health hospitals from February 2015 through November 2018.
The trial of Dr. William Husel on 25 counts of murder in the overdose deaths of Mount Carmel Health hospital patients could be more than a year away, according to the Franklin County judge assigned to the case.
Husel, 45, was indicted last June 19, but his trial has faced repeated delays because of COVID-19 safety protocols, which has dramatically limited the ability of the courts to conduct jury trials.
Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Holbrook told prosecution and defense attorneys at a status conference Wednesday that he can t image finding time to hold what is expected to be a six- to eight-week trial until the middle of next year.