Daniel ChandlerThe murder trial for a Grundy County, Tennessee, man charged in the 2016 slaying of his wife was delayed during a circuit court motion hearing Thursday morning in Marion County.
Attorneys in the Grundy County first-degree murder case against Daniel Chandler will return to court Feb. 11 for Circuit Court Judge Thomas W. Graham, who is presiding over the case, to set a new trial date, according to 12th Judicial District Assistant District Attorney Dave McGovern.
The hearing on the Grundy County case was held in Marion County because of the judge's schedule. The trial was originally scheduled to start Jan. 22.
Chandler, 29 when arrested November 2017, is charged in the May 2016 slaying of 26-year-old Samantha Kathleen Chandler. The two had been in a heated custody battle that might have fueled the killing, investigators said early on.
The trial date was delayed on a state motion Thursday for a continuance because prosecutors are waiting for some test results that have not been received yet, McGovern said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was unable to perform some needed hair analysis and the work was outsourced, 12th Judicial District Attorney General Mike Taylor said on Wednesday prior to Thursday hearing.
Samantha Chandler's body was found May 1, 2016, about 150 feet off of Ross Creek Road south of Gruetli-Laager, in an area often used by off-roaders. Officials said people on ATVs found her body near the point where Ross Creek Road becomes Burkett's Chapel Road.
Daniel Chandler was arrested Nov. 14, 2017, in Walker County, Alabama. He was returned to Tennessee to face murder charges the next day.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.