George Joseph case goes forward with new lawyer

Despite a change of lawyer, the murder case against George Joseph remains on schedule.

On Monday, Joseph appeared in court with his new attorney, assistant public defender Bevy Beimdiek of St. Louis.

Joseph, 49, faces charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the May 30 shooting deaths of his wife, Mary, and 18-year-old son, Matthew, at their home on West Cape Rock Drive.

In December, Joseph's attorney, Bryan Greaser, filed a motion to withdraw as his counsel, citing "irreconcilable differences."

Last month, Cape Girardeau County Circuit Judge Benjamin Lewis upheld Greaser's motion and announced Joseph would be appointed a public defender to represent him.

On Monday, Beimdiek made her first court appearance with Joseph. She told Lewis she and her client were prepared to go forward with a motions hearing March 21.

Lewis said he would allow half a day for the hearing, which has been scheduled since November, but Beimdiek told him it was possible that hearing could become a simple case review if she did not have any motions.

Defendants who hire their own attorneys normally are not considered indigent and thus do not qualify for the services of a public defender, but judges can overrule the public defender's office, as Lewis did.

In December, Joseph sent Lewis a letter stating Greaser no longer wished to represent him and asking for a public defender, saying, "Since my incarceration on June 7th, 2013, I have been unable to earn any income."

In his letter, Lewis said he and Greaser disagreed about the best way to handle his case.

In October, Lewis rejected a defense motion to suppress a videotape of a June 4 interview with police officers in which Joseph, while hospitalized in St. Louis with a gunshot wound to his head, made several incriminating statements.

The case is set for trial beginning Sept. 15 in Jackson before a jury from Cole County, Mo.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

1220 W. Cape Rock Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.