Patrick Doyle
The jury trial of a Columbus man accused of murdering his live-in girlfriend is scheduled to begin later this month following a final pre-trial hearing Friday.
Patrick E. Doyle, 40, is charged with the murder of Heather Ann Steuver, 37, whose body was found covered with sand and rocks in a local gravel pit on Sept. 9, 2021, 18 days after her disappearance.
Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting ruled the manner of death as homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head. A number of Steuver’s belongings were found in a pillowcase submerged in a nearby lake, a probable cause affidavit stated.
Doyle’s trial was postponed last July due to pretrial publicity. As a result, a jury of Shelby County residents will be brought to Columbus to hear the case and determine the verdict. While the trial will take place in Columbus, jury selection will take place at the Shelby County Courthouse in Shelbyville.
While Judge Kelly Benjamin originally said she expected a four-day trial, new witnesses and evidence have been introduced over the past seven months that might change the length of the proceedings.
Public defender Don Edwards asked the court last October to exclude certain witnesses, as well as dismiss state evidence that he considered irrelevant, unreliable or prejudicial.
On Jan. 18, the state announced its intention to present laboratory results during the trial. The next day, Edwards asked Benjamin to exclude a witness from the trial.
During Friday’s hearing, the witness was identified as forensic pathologist Dr. James Jacobi of Bedford.
Edwards said that after he read Jacobi’s findings last month, he objected because the county already had a forensic pathologist working the case. The public defender also described Jacobi as someone brought in as a late witness.
In response, Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay told the judge that Edwards had declined to attend a pre-arranged meeting with the pathologist on Jan. 31st.
Judge Benjamin denied Edwards’ request to remove Jacobi from the witness list.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Kimberly Sexton-Yeager said she will meet Tuesday with Edwards to categorize witnesses and exhibits to ensure neither side reveals anything ruled out by the court.
