The Allen County man charged in the murder of a seven-year-old girl nearly four years ago is now less than a month away from going on trial.
Timothy Madden was in court on Wednesday for a pre-trial hearing.
After multiple delays, the case is on schedule to go to trial on September 4.
If convicted, Madden could get the death penalty for the kidnapping, rape, sodomy, and murder of Gabbi Doolin in 2015.
Due to publicity, the case will be tried in Elizabethtown. Allen Circuit Judge Janet Crocker said 146 Hardin County residents will be questioned and evaluated in the process of seating a jury. Commonwealth’s Attorney Corey Morgan says he’s confident a fair jury can be impaneled.
"Whenever there's jury selection, normally you talk to jurors as a group, "Morgan explained. "However, in a death penalty case, it's individual. That means you have to take each person into the chambers with the judge and opposing counsel and talk about the death penalty to see their views on it, and that takes time."
Despite Elizabethtown being in a different media market, Madden’s public defender Tom Griffiths says he still has concerns about seating an impartial jury.
"Television doesn't hit a wall and people report each other's stories," said Griffiths. "Once something is in the Courier-Journal, it gets picked up by everybody in the state, and frankly, vice versa."
Jury selection is expected to take at least a week, and the trial, as long as a month.
Both sides told Judge Crocker they will be ready for the trial to begin in just over three weeks, although the defense is still waiting on two reports, including a psychiatric evaluation and independent DNA testing.
Hardin Circuit Court Judge Kelley Mark Easton will preside over jury selection while Judge Crocker will oversee the trial.
Timothy Madden returns to court on August 24 for a rare Saturday hearing, which will be his last in Scottsville before the case is transferred to Hardin County.
