MOUNT VERNON — Elmer M. Chandler was indicted for aggravated murder on Monday by a Knox County grand jury. Chandler is accused of causing the death of his 73-year-old wife, Joann J. Chandler. The 74-year-old Mount Vernon man was also charged with one count of murder and one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony.
According to Knox County Sheriff David Barber, Chandler allegedly shot his wife once in the head on May 27 at their Miller Road residence.
County Prosecutor John Thatcher said the aggravated murder and murder counts carry a firearm specification, alleging that Chandler used a Marlin .22 caliber rifle to commit the offenses. Thatcher said the tampering with evidence count in the indictment alleges that Chandler concealed his wife’s body [in a barn behind their house], knowing that an investigation was imminent.
On May 30, Chandler appeared in Mount Vernon Municipal Court for a bail hearing. Municipal Judge Paul Spurgeon ordered that Chandler undergo a mental health evaluation before he would set bail. However, the grand jury indictment removes Chandler from Spurgeon’s jurisdiction and Chandler will remain incarcerated in the Knox County Jail pending a hearing in Common Pleas Court.
A new bond hearing has yet to be scheduled, although, according to Thatcher, it “will likely be held later this week before Judge Otho Eyster.”
