Robin Mendez has filed a waiver in Oneida County court to give up his right to a jury trial on charges of killing his wife in 1982. WAOW TV reports the waiver was filed Wednesday. A 15-day jury trial was scheduled to begin on April 8th.
Mendez has long maintained his innocence in the case. It’s unclear why he is filing for the waiver. “It is certainly not the norm. We all have the constitutional right to a jury trial,” Mendez’s attorney, Peter Prusinski of Wausau, said Thursday.
A series of motion hearings in the case will now begin on August 13th. Other hearings will be held in November and December, with a final pre-trial conference set for February 7th.
Should Mendez be successful it would leave a judge to decide the case. If the judge and prosecutors cannot agree on having what is called a bench trial, a jury trial would still be held. Online court records still indicate the trial will begin next April.
WSAU