Defnedant Del Ray Sanders makes his way to the 411th District Courtroom on January 12, 2010.
MURDER TRIAL OF DEL RAY SANDERS Trial of Alleged Killer Underway
Witnesses Paint a Picture of Drugs, Abuse, and Dominance, LIVINGSTON, January 12, 2010 - On Tuesday morning, January 12, 2010, the opening arguments in the murder trial of Del Ray Sanders, 50, of Goodrich, got underway in the court room of Judge, Robert H. Trapp, 411th District Judge. Witnesses painted a picture of drug addiction, abuse, and dominance. Sanders is on trial for the February 16, 2009 murder of his wife, Linnie Jo Sanders, who was 50 years of age at the time of her death. Linnie Sanders' daughter was called to the witness stand where she stated that her mother was submissive to Del Ray Sanders and would do what he said. Neighbors gave similar accounts in their testimonies. Two different witnesses compared Mrs. Sanders to a stepford wife (based on the 1972 novel The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin about robotic, frighteningly submissive housewives). According to neighbors, Linnie was submissive and would walk behind Del Ray, and Linnie would never answer the door unless Del Ray was also at home. One witness said that when she would see them together she would see them coming and going, but rarely speaking. The daughter also stated that her mother was addicted to the prescription medication Vicadin (a painkiller) and Xanax (anti-depressant used to prevent anxiety disorders and panic attacks). One neighbor said that she was afraid of Del Ray Sanders for her own safety. Emergency personnel who responded to the scene on the day of the murder stated that Del Ray told them that he was angry at Linnie because she had taken his share of pills, and that after she was dead he prettied her up. Personnel from Americare Ambulance service stated that they found her in a bedroom, on her back, covered, and that she had been rigor mortis for several hours (rigor mortis is one of the recognizable signs of death when the person's limbs become stiff and difficult to move). Criminal District Attorney William Lee Hon poured over photographs from the scene of the crime for the jury, as Del Ray sat emotionless and still, looking straight ahead, opposite direction from the photos. The trial is expected to last several days.
Sanders in 411th District Courtroom during opening day of his murder trial, January 12, 2010.
Polk County Criminal District Attorney William Lee Hon listens to testimony on January 12, 2010 in the murder trial of Del Ray Sanders.
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