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Mistrial deniedincaseBIRMINGHAMAstatement by former Talladega County Sheriff Luke Brewer during the murder trial of the Rev. Harvie Renfroe here Wednesday brought the defense attorney from his seat asking for a mistrial. The request was denied by Judge Charles M. Rice Jr.Brewer, during questioning about his investigation of the murder of Renfroes wife on June 24. 1971, was asked if he recalled who he made the statement “I got my man” to the day of the murderBrewer replied, ‘‘I don't know who I said that to. I told the court in the other trial. .That brought defense attorney Lyndol Bolton to his feet. Bolton requested the jury be sent from the room and he immediately asked for a mistrial. When the judge refused. Bolton asked the judge that he not charge the jury to forget the incident He felt telling the jurors to wipe it from their minds would onlywmake the statement strongerRENFROE is being tried a second time in the murder of his wife. He was tried and found guilty of second-degree murder in February, 1972, but the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals ordered a new trial in the case. The trail was moved to Birmingham on a change ofvenue motion because of widespread interest in the case in Talladega County.The state is contending that the Renfroes were having marital problems and Mrs. Renfroe had threatened her husband with divorce only days before she was killed The state says Renfroe strangled his wife with a man's shirt bv tving it around her neck.Renfroe s defense asserts that the woman was raped and killed bv an unknown assailant.WIn Wednesday’s testimony the first hint of other suspects in the case came to light in the trial.Bolton injected the names of two convicted felons who had been working on the Renfroe home at Lincoln only two days before Mrs. Renfroes death.One man is in a Florida prison for aggravated assault on a woman. Bolton said.WEDNESDAY, former state investigator Roy Riddle and Brewer provided most of the day's testimony. Riddle told the jury Renfroe had told him he used a hammer to knock in a bedroom door at his home and found Mrs. Renfroe having a tantrum on the floor.Riddle said the incident occurred a week before the woman’s death.Brewer then testified that Rentroe had shown him a letter written by his wife several days before her death in which she told her husband he could sign for a divorce if she could not get herself a gun.Both Riddle and Brewer said Rentroe cooperated fully with them in the investigation even after thev told him he was awsuspect in the caseIn other testimony Brewer admitted to the defense attorney in cross examination that he jailed Renfroe for “several days” without a warrant “I needed a little more time.” Brewer saidexplaining why he jailed the minister.SEVERAL state witnesses testified that Renfroe ate breakfast at McCaig's restaurant the morning of his wife’s death Renfroe told investigating officers he ate breakfast with his wife.Another state witness said when Mrs. Rentroe died an insurance company paid off $13,000 owed on the couple’s new home. The witness said Henfroe made the application for the insurance and was the first insured while Mrs. Renfroe was the second insuree of the policy and has also signedfor the insuranceThe trial is expected to continue through this week with the defense to open its case based heavily on the belief that an unknown assailant killed Mrs. Renfroe The defense is also contending that the state never properly investigated the murder and that Brewer prejudiced the investigation of a state toxicologist by stating that Renfroe was a prime suspect before he began hisprobe
Newspaper Details
Anniston Star
Anniston, Alabama, US
Thu, May 22, 1975
Page 29
Full Page
Clipped by
Tom T.
USA 17 Nov 2022
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