Double murder defendant Andrew Griffin will be in Belmont County Common Pleas Court this afternoon for one of his final preliminary hearings before his trial begins on March 2.
Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Chris Berhalterr will preside over the monthly hearing at 1:30 p.m., and the main topics will be expert witnesses and jury selection.
The 33-year-old Griffin is charged with the aggravated murders of Thomas and Angela Strussion on September 21, 2021, inside their home on Trails End Road in Belmont, Ohio. The Oklahoma native was arrested by detectives Chief Ryan Allar and Sgt. Jordan Blumling in Hilo, Hawaii, on February 16th, and he was extradited to Belmont County in mid-March.
Griffin was a business partner with the Strussions and their Salsa Joe’s restaurant business, and he moved into the area in the Fall of 2020. He left, however, a couple of weeks before the Strussions were killed, and investigators believe Griffin returned, committed the murders, and then left the area again.
A murder trial in Ohio requires 12 jurors who must unanimously agree on a verdict. According to Section 2945.21 of the Ohio Revised Code, potential jurors are summoned for duty and questioned in court to identify any conflicts or biases. For the Griffin trial, 500 prospective jurors were summoned, and more than 350 questionnaires were completed before Christmas, according to reports from WTOV9.
Attorneys on both sides will be able to review completed questionnaires by January 31st, and the length of the trial could be more than three weeks, said Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack on Tuesday on River Talk’s “Novotney Now” program.
Judge Berhalter will also hear recommendations this afternoon for expert witness designations.
If convicted of two counts of aggravated murder, Griffin could face Ohio’s death penalty, and any potential plea agreement in the case must be reached by January 30th.
