Jury trial in case of Greene County Jail drug-induced homicide now more likely

By Benjamin Cox on January 11, 2019 at 9:20am

Cody Crum might not be accepting a plea agreement.

A jury trial in the case of the drug-induced homicide of Michael Burrus at the Greene County Jail in August 2018 seems more likely than it did last week, when Special Prosecutor Matt Goetten said there was a good chance of a plea deal being settled in the case. Crum appeared in Greene County Court yesterday, though the pre-trial conference did not take long.

Between the pre-trial conference on Friday January 4th and the one that occurred yesterday afternoon, plea negotiations have reportedly become more complicated. Crum has one additional felony charge from 2018 – for possession of a controlled substance – that likely needs to be taken into consideration as Goetten and Defense Attorney Craig Grummel develop an appropriate plea arrangement.

Goetten moved for a continuation of the case to next month, citing unexpected changes in reported plea negotiations.

Crum will next appear in Greene County Court for an additional pre-trial conference on Wednesday, February 6th at 11 a.m. In addition, presiding Judge James Day mentioned that the upcoming Greene County jury session will be on Monday, April 8th beginning at 9 a.m.