Allegedly inconsistent statements made by the sister of an Elkridge woman whose husband is accused in her murder may affect what jurors hear when the case goes to trial.

Attorneys defending Robert Jarrett want his former sister-in-law to return to court to review statements she made earlier this summer in a pre-trial hearing and explain why they apparently differ from statements she made to a grand jury.

Jarrett, of Elkridge, is scheduled for trial Oct. 1 on a first-degree murder charge in the death of his wife, Christine, from 1991.

The court has agreed to re-subpoena the sister, Patricia Mueller, who testified July 5 at a pretrial hearing.

Jarrett's attorneys claim statements Mueller made at that hearing are "completely opposite” of her testimony provided to a grand jury on May 9. The grand jury testimony has not been made public, and only recently was made available to Jarrett's lawyer, George Psoras.

The grand jury indicted Robert Jarrett on first-degree murder charges in May, weeks after police unearthed remains under a shed behind his Elkridge home on Claire Drive that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner identified as Christine.

Last month at the open hearing in Howard County Circuit Court, Mueller spoke of an incident in 1990 when her sister reportedly called her crying and asked to be picked up from a pharmacy in Elkridge. Mueller said that Christine had a cut on the bridge of her nose and said her husband "beat [me] up."

Psoras says he wants to cross-examine Mueller again. He said had he been provided with the grand jury testimony earlier, he would have taken a different tack with his questions at the July 5 hearing. 

Prosecutors disagreed with the request.

“The state doesn’t see the need for that,” said Kim Oldham, representing the State’s Attorney for Howard County.

“This is not a minor thing,” countered Judge Richard Bernhardt.

At last month's hearing, Bernhardt said the murder case is "circumstantial," meaning that witness testimony is key in the trial because there is not direct evidence linking Jarrett to the crime.

Mueller will be summoned by subpoena to reappear at the next motions hearing on Sept. 6, when the attorneys will argue about what should be entered as evidence before the Oct. 1 trial.

RELATED STORIES:

• "Tumultuous” Relationship Between Accused Killer and Wife, Son Says
• Body of Missing Woman Found After 21 Years
• Remains in Elkridge Identified as Christine Jarrett
• Jarrett Indicted on First-Degree Murder Charge
• Long Trail Ended at Makeshift Grave Under Backyard Shed
• Accused Wife Killer: "A Normal Working Man"
• Neighbors Feared Body was Buried in Neighborhood
• Woman Married to Robert Jarrett Files for Divorce
• Elkridge Home Where Body Was Found to Be Sold

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