8/18/14 - Itâs been nearly three years since a grisly Livingston County murder but after an appeal to the stateâs highest court, the case will begin to proceed again locally next month. The defense and prosecution have been working to coordinate a trial schedule since the Michigan Supreme Court reversed a local judgeâs decision in the case of 30-year-old George Tanner and remanded it back to Livingston County Circuit Court. Judge Michael Hatty is now presiding and on Friday, he scheduled a September 19th pre-trial date. The Michigan Supreme Court last June overturned a previous opinion concerning the confession made by Tanner to police, which ruled it was admissible in court. Police say Tanner and Brian Stafford murdered 40-year-old Christopher Townsend on October 15th of 2011 and then dismembered and burned the body on a wooded property owned by Tannerâs uncle in Green Oak Township. Police say Tanner confessed to the crime while in custody, but the defense argued that confession was inadmissible because a lawyer previously requested by Tanner was waiting to see him, but police did not inform him of that fact. Local Circuit Court Judge David Reader agreed with that claim, which was backed up by a previous Michigan Supreme Court ruling in the case of the People v. Bender, which said a suspect must be told promptly when an attorney attempts to contact them. Prosecutors appealed that decision to the stateâs highest court which by a 5-2 vote overturned People v. Bender, saying Tanner knowingly waived his Miranda rights when he reinitiated contact with police to make his confession. Stafford was previously sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to 2nd degree murder. (JM)
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