A second judge has recused himself in the case against former Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy, who resigned after accusations of residency fraud.
Murphy’s defense counsel requested a second recusal after the new judge, 12th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Justin Angel, disclosed that his wife would start employment with the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office.
Even though Hamilton County prosecutors recused themselves from the Murphy case, the former police chief’s lawyer, McCraken Poston, argued in court filings that there could be an appearance of conflict.
Poston contended that the employer of the judge’s wife would be affected by an adverse ruling in the Murphy case, and that his motion to quash uses the same argument and expert witness as a separate case the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting.