Burr Trial Backed Up Another Month

The murder trial of Effingham resident Christine Burr has been backed up at least another month.

The trial was to begin March 10 and pre-trial motions were to be considered today, but Public Defender Scott Schmidt told Judge Marc Kelly that the defense needed more time to prepare for trial.  There was no objection to the continuance from Assistant State's Attorney Scott Ealy, so Judge Kelly set a new trial date for April 14.  A new pre-trial hearing date of March 27 was also scheduled by the judge.

Burr is charged with fatally stabbing Joseph Delaney of Effingham at her residence sometime after July 1, 2011.  Burr is charged with her daughter, Kristy Mathis and Mathis' former boyfriend, Zebediah Houser of taking Delaney's body and dumping it in a rural part of Jasper County along the Embarras River, north of Newton.

Mathis and Houser are both due in court Monday for their pre-trial hearings.