An Alabama judge has granted a request to give lawyers more time to prepare their defense for a former Southern Baptist minister charged with murdering his wife nearly three-and-a-half years ago.
Richard Shahan
The trial against Richard Shahan, former pastor to children and families and facilities manager at First Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., was set to begin the week of Jan. 9, 2017, but was rescheduled for the week of May 15, according to local media.
Jefferson County Circuit Judge Laura Petro granted a motion for continuance by Shahan’s attorneys John Lentine and Wendell Sheffield due to “voluminous” evidence collected and provided to them by the prosecution.
According to AL.com, Deputy Jefferson County District Attorney Patrick Lamb disclosed new evidence in October that filled 18 blank DVD’s and 7 blank CD’s.
Karen Shahan
Shahan is accused of killing his wife, Karen, in July, 2013. Her body was found in the home the family rented from First Baptist Church. Investigators said she was stabbed to death and had several small defensive wounds.
Shahan, 55, was arrested Jan. 1, 2014, waiting to board an international flight in Nashville, Tenn. His attorneys said he wasn’t trying to flee but was headed for an extended mission trip in Europe. Police said once overseas Shahan planned to marry his lover and never return to the United States.
Shahan was released from jail weeks later on $100,000 bond and confined to house arrest with electronic monitoring.
The trial was originally set for April 2016 but was postponed due to scheduling conflicts and other factors.