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Rosa murder trial continued to Sept. 4
The trial of a Greencastle man accused of killing his wife in their Madison Township home will now take place in September.
Joseph Rosa, 73, was set to go on trial for the murder of wife Nancy on July 9, but the jury trial date has now been reset to Wednesday, Sept. 4 before Putnam Circuit Court Judge Matthew Headley.
It is set for a three-day trial.
Putnam County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Austin Malayer told the Banner Graphic that Rosa’s final deposition had been set recently, but an investigator was unable to attend due to bereavement leave.
The deposition is now set for next week, but that put it too close to the trial date for Rosa’s attorneys to prepare.
Besides the September trial date, a final pre-trial conference is also on the court calendar for 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 28. The event is also listed as a “possible change of plea.”
According to the probable cause affidavit, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Rosa home in the 3000 block of South County Road 550 West on the morning of May 14, 2024. Joseph Rosa had apparently contacted a friend, saying that he woke up around 10 a.m. to find his wife lying on the floor covered in blood and stiff to the touch.
Though he has said he had no memory of the incident, Rosa had made self-incriminating statements both to police and in court.
In another murder case of local interest, Jon L. McGuff, 26, Reelsville, is still on schedule for a murder trial in Clay Superior Court on July 8 at 9 a.m.
McGuff is accused of shooting and killing William Matherly of Cloverdale on May 11, 2023 in Brazil.