OSWEGO -- The Erin Maxwell murder case was back in Oswego County Court, and more information is being released regarding the defense's case.
In court Tuesday morning, Alan Jones’s attorney Salvatore Lanza asked the court for permission to recreate the events leading up to Erin's death. Lanza contends she accidentally hung herself while playing in her bedroom. State Police have determined that there was not any DNA from Erin on the rope.
Jones claims he found Erin in her room, hanging by a rope attached to a screw in a window frame. Lanza had that screw tested by an engineer to examine its strength, and that information will likely be used at trial. District Attorney Donald Dodd says that he does not have a problem with this and will also be consulting with local engineers.
Prosecutors paint a much different picture of Jones. They say he strangled his stepsister at their Palermo home last August. Erin was just 11 years old at the time of her death.
The next hearing for Jones is scheduled for June 1.
In related news, Erin's father and stepmother were in Palermo Town Court Monday night. Lindsey and Lynn Maxwell are both charged with endangering the welfare of a child after New York State Troopers discovered their home in unsanitary conditions following Erin’s death.
The hearing focused on whether to suppress evidence during an upcoming trial. Specifically, the defense wants photographs of the home taken by State Police suppressed, but the prosecution says that is not an option.
The court also set up a trial schedule for the Maxwells, but did not set a start date.
