(Le Mars) — The first degree murder trial of a rural Merrill man has been continued until next year. 82-year old Thomas Knapp is charged in the fatal shooting of his stepson, 51-year old Kevin Juzek back on May 11th at Knapp’s home. At a video hearing in Plymouth County District Court on Friday, both the defense and county attorneys stated that they were working through
hearing loss and competency issues before scheduling depositions, or filing any motions. Judge Duane Hoffmeyer set a new trial date for March 9th, with a February 23rd pre-trial conference. Court documents allege that Knapp shot
Juzek twice with a 20-gauge shotgun following a dispute. Knapp is being held in the Plymouth County Jail. His original trial date was scheduled for December 15th.
