Griffin trial date nears as attorneys address witness, jury view
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- As a trial date inches closer for Andrew Isaac Griffin, he appeared in court Friday for yet another pretrial hearing.
Griffin is accused of the double homicide of his Salsa Joe's Restaurant business partner, Thomas Strussion, and his wife, Angela Strussion. The couple was murdered in their Trails End Drive home near Belmont in 2021, along with their dogs.
His trial is slated for Oct. 19 at 8:30 a.m. before Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Chris Berhalter.
On Friday, Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan addressed a motion to allow a witness to appear by deposition.
The witness lives in Oklahoma and has a serious health condition that makes travel difficult.
"That witness was available at all of those previous occasions. In fact, had indicated that he would travel to Belmont County to testify. In November, Mr. [assistant prosecutor Joseph] Vavra had gone down, interviewed him and was fine," Flanagan said. "In preparation for the trial, as we were making arrangements to, as far as airfare, hotel room, that kind of stuff, he reached out and indicated that he was dependent upon oxygen, and so we simply asked that he not be compelled to come to Belmont County, but provide testimony via Zoom."
He added that he provided a letter from the witness' doctor to the court while waiting for Berhalter's ruling.
Flanagan said he has spoken with Griffin's lawyer, Kate Clark of the Samuel H. Shamansky Law Office, about the possibility of Berhalter scheduling a hearing on the motion.
"We had agreed to talk if the court would like to sit down for a hearing. We will have anybody that the court wants to hear from available for that hearing, presumably," Flanagan said. "Obviously, I’ve not checked their schedules, but presumably."
Clark said she had received the motion but had been in court all week for another case and had not had time to properly review it.
Berhalter asked Clark if Wednesday would be an appropriate deadline for her to file a response. She said it would be.
He also requested that she file a response indicating whether she agrees to a hearing.
The second motion involved a jury view for the trial.
Flanagan wants the jury to visit the home where the alleged crimes occurred as well as the cell phone tower closest to the house.
"After speaking with the detectives, the prosecution does not believe that we need to essentially waste any further time going to any of the other towers located in our jury request," Flanagan said. "So it will be one tower near the house and the house, and that is it."
Berhalter asked Flanagan when he wanted the jury view to take place.
"It would be ideal for the state to allow for opening statements to occur, and then once the jury hears those opening statements, it would be permitted to then board a bus and go to the jury view," Flanagan said.
Berhalter then asked Flanagan to confirm whether he meant for the jury view to take place on the first day of trial. Flanagan confirmed that was the request.
Berhalter set the next pretrial hearing and plea agreement deadline for Sept. 25 at 1:30 p.m. in Common Pleas Court.