A mistrial has been declared in the case of the alleged Colorado child killer, Mark Redwine, after members of his defense team exhibited COVID-19 symptoms.
The Durango Herald reports that the lead prosecutor in the case against Redwine, 6th Judicial District Attorney Christian Champagne, asked if the defense was trying to delay the trial on purpose. One of Redwine’s public defenders, John Moran, was reportedly seen without a mask, talking to someone.
Moran claimed he was in his own yard without a mask but remained mostly mum on the accusation. District Judge Jeffrey Wilson ultimately declared a mistrial on Monday afternoon.
“The Court, for the reasons stated on the record and without making any findings as to the veracity of the allegations, finds that even if such allegations are true, the Court has no choice but to grant D-180 and declare a mistrial to ensure that Mr. Redwine has effective assistance of counsel,” Wilson wrote.
A conference to discuss how the trial will proceed in the future has been set up for Friday.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Redwine was arrested in Washington in 2017 and charged with second-degree murder and child abuse in connection with the death of his 13-year-old son, Dylan Redwine.
In 2012, volunteer search teams and authorities began scouring the area around Redwine’s Colorado home in Durango for months looking for Dylan. The search proved to be difficult since Durango is at an elevation of 6,512 feet with steep canyons and mountains.
In June 2013, searchers found a few of Dylan’s bones, a part of his shirt, a sock, and his shoestring, in Vallecito, around five miles away from Durango. Searchers found his remains in an area difficult to get to, especially for a young boy and for someone who doesn’t know the area well.
Redwine claimed he went to work and to run errands on the morning of November 19, 2012 and left his son sleeping on the couch. He said when he returned, Dylan was gone. He figured his son went fishing, but when Dylan didn’t return within a few hours, Redwine claimed he became worried.
“The TV was on. There was a bowl and box of cereal out. After a couple of hours, I got concerned,” Redwine previously said.
Redwine said that he didn’t argue with Dylan and that his son seemed in good spirits the last time he saw him. A grand jury indictment against Redwine, however, provides a different version of what happened.
“Mark Redwine and Dylan Redwine had argued and fought on their previous visit, they had not been getting along leading up to the court-ordered visit, and several witnesses stated that Dylan Redwine did not want to visit Mark Redwine. Text messages indicated Dylan Redwine had asked to stay with a friend rather than his father the same night of his arrival, a request that was denied by Mark Redwine.”
Cadaver dogs picked up Dylan’s blood on Redwine’s living floor and furniture. Further, an expert wildlife official told authorities that there’s no way a wild animal would have taken a body so far up terrain that’s a difficult climb.
In November 2015, authorities found Dylan’s skull a little over a mile from the site where his bones were found in 2013. An anthropologist said the boy’s skull had marks on it consistent with knife stab wounds and blunt force trauma.
According to the indictment against Redwine, compromising photos may have been the reason that Dylan lost his life. Not only did Dylan allegedly view disturbing photos of his father, but his older brother Corey did as well, and described them as “disgusting.”
“It shows him wearing women’s clothes and makeup and a diaper and then eating his feces from the diaper. It was disgusting,” Corey Redwine previously told ABC 7.
Redwine has pleaded not guilty. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Dylan Redwine/Handout]
