Kimberly Moretz’s trial has been postponed for a second time.
Moretz, 43, accused of covering up a grisly murder committed by her husband Chad Moretz, was scheduled to be tried in Effingham County Superior Court this Thursday and Friday before Ogeechee Judicial Circuit Judge Gates Peed.
However, Assistant District Attorney Brian Deal confirmed Wednesday that the trial has been postponed to a date to be determined.
Deal said “some last-minute evidentiary issues that behooved us collectively to do so” led to the delay.
Investigators believe Chad Moretz brutally killed Charlie Ray, a Wilmington Island man who had Tourette’s syndrome, in January. Ray’s body was dismembered, with some parts of his body found inside the Moretzes’ Rincon home and other parts hidden in a storage unit in Jasper County, S.C.
According to investigators, Kimberly Moretz rented the storage unit and knew what was going to be placed inside.
Moretz was indicted by an Effingham County grand jury in March on charges of concealing a death, tampering with evidence and hindering the apprehension of a criminal. She has pled not guilty to the charges.
Moretz’s trial was initially set for Sept. 23-25, but was rescheduled after she violated her bond by fleeing Effingham County. Her bond was revoked after she was arrested on Aug. 29 in Naples, Fla., on a bench warrant.
The trial was moved to Nov. 14-15, and a jury of eight women and four men was selected on Oct. 8. Deal declined to speculate on a new date for the trial, particularly since the holidays are approaching.
“I won’t even begin to guess at this point,” he said.
Deal acknowledged the frustration of not one, but two, continuations in trying the case.
“I hate it more for (Charlie Ray’s) parents than anybody else,” Deal said. “We want to try it once, try it right and not try it again.”
A standoff ensued Jan. 11 after officers went to the Moretzes’ house on Whitehall Avenue to ask if the couple knew of Ray’s whereabouts. Chad Moretz held his wife hostage for several hours, and he was shot and killed by a SWAT team sniper after he brandished an automatic rifle toward law enforcement officers.
Kimberly Moretz’s brother, Kevin Lambert, pled guilty in August to hindering the apprehension of a criminal. Lambert received five years of probation.
Lambert answered the door when officers arrived at Moretz home on Jan. 11. Lambert relayed a message from Chad Moretz that he “wasn’t going to come out and he was going to kill law enforcement,” according to investigators.