Murder suspect George Joseph to be examined by neuropsychologist

A Cape Girardeau man accused of killing his wife and son is scheduled to be examined Friday by a forensic neuropsychologist, court records show.

George Joseph, 49, faces charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the May 30, 2013, shooting deaths of his wife, Mary, and 18-year-old son, Matthew, at their home on West Cape Rock Drive.

An Oct. 17 court order signed by Judge Benjamin Lewis instructs Cape Girardeau County Jail staff to allow Dr. Robert Hanlon into the jail Friday to conduct an examination of Joseph.

The order requires staff to let Joseph and Hanlon meet "in an area which will allow for private and confidential communication" throughout the examination and to let Hanlon bring a laptop computer and related accessories and an assortment of neurospychological testing materials into the jail.

Hanlon -- a certified clinical neuropsychologist -- has given expert testimony in more than 150 legal cases and is co-founder of the Forensic Neuropsychology Institute, according to neurospychologychicago.com.

His experience includes "criminal cases involving issues of fitness, sanity and mitigation," the website states.

Joseph is accused of shooting his wife and son to death in their beds before turning the gun on himself in what investigators have characterized as a failed suicide attempt.

During a preliminary hearing last year, Joseph's brother-in-law testified Joseph had been distraught over financial problems -- including the loss of money he had been investing for other people -- and worried because he was the target of a federal investigation.

The case is set for trial in July, online court records show.

Lewis approved a defense request last year to bring in a jury from Cole County, Missouri, to hear the case.

Joseph's private counsel at the time, attorney Bryan Greaser, had asked for a change of venue, citing concerns about pretrial publicity.

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

Joseph asked Lewis to appoint a public defender to represent him, saying he had no income because he had been incarcerated since his arrest in early June 2013.

Assistant public defender Bevy Beimdiek of St. Louis was appointed in February to replace Greaser, but she filed a motion to withdraw from the case in July because she was leaving the public defender's office.

Assistant public defender Daniel J. Gralike replaced Beimdiek as Joseph's counsel in August, but Gralike withdrew from the case Sept. 2, and assistant public defender Cynthia A. Dryden was appointed to replace him, online court records show.

The reason for Gralike's withdrawal was not immediately clear.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

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