Joseph requests change of judge, venue in murder case

The attorney for a Cape Girardeau man accused of killing his wife and son filed motions Monday for a change of judge and a change of venue.

George Joseph, 48, is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Mary, and 18-year-old son, Matthew, before turning the gun on himself May 30 at their home on West Cape Rock Drive.

Joseph is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of armed criminal action in connection with the shootings.

On Monday, his attorney, Bryan Greaser, filed motions for a change of judge and a change of venue, online court records show.

Cape Girardeau County Circuit Judge William Syler currently is assigned to the case.

Greaser was not immediately available for comment Monday.

Change-of-venue requests are not uncommon in high-profile cases.

When Clay Waller was charged with first-degree murder last year in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Jacque, his attorney, public defender Chris Davis, requested a change of venue, citing concerns about pretrial publicity.

Prosecutors and Davis eventually agreed to keep the case in Cape Girardeau County on condition a jury be imported from Cole County -- a step that became unnecessary when Waller pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in June in exchange for a 20-year prison sentence.

Last month, Keith Monia, who is accused of defrauding an elderly Scott County couple of more than $200,000, was granted a change of judge as a precursor to a request for a change of venue.

A Scott County detective has said Monia told the couple he would invest the money in annuities for them, but most of the money ended up going to Joseph, who ran a 60-member investment club.

At a preliminary hearing on Joseph's charges last month, his brother-in-law David Snell said Joseph had been researching money laundering the day before the shootings.

Snell said Joseph was worried because he was the target of a federal investigation.

At a St. Louis hospital after the shooting, Joseph apologized to Snell and told him he "had to put them in a better place," Snell testified.

Snell said at the hearing that Joseph, a day trader, apparently wanted to spare his family the embarrassment of the financial problems he was facing, including the loss of money he had been investing for more than 60 people.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

1220 W. Cape Rock Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO