The murder trial of Andy McCauley Jr. that was to start this coming Monday, April 26, in Morgan County Circuit Court has been delayed until September 27. The decision to postpone the trial came during a pre-trial hearing in Circuit Court on Thursday, April 22. Courthouse sources said the trial postponement was tied to exposure of a primary person in the trial to an individual who tested positive for COVID-19.
Attorneys had, less than a week prior, selected a jury of Morgan County residents to hear the case. Seating a local jury has been a point of argument between the Prosecuting Attorney and McCauley’s defense team for more than a year.
Morgan County Circuit Clerk Melanie Shambaugh confirmed the trial change and said jurors who were selected to hear the trial will be notified of the postponement and will return to the jury pool for the remainder of this court term, which ends on July 6. That means attorneys will draw from a different jury pool for a September trial.
McCauley faces charges of murder and concealing a deceased human body in connection with the disappearance and death of Berkeley Springs teen Riley Crossman in May 2019. He has been incarcerated on the charges since his arrest in Berkeley County on May 16, 2019.
