Michael S. Geiger pleaded not guilty to charges of murder in the 1st degree, rape in the 1st degree, and kidnapping during his arraignment that took place on Monday, December 12th at 10:00 am before Judge Newby. During the arraignment, Newby stated that while he would like to schedule the trial for March of 2023 he believes that May will be more realistic.
Geiger’s defense countered that would be “outside the realm of possibility for a case of this nature”. Geiger’s defense claimed that they would need a multigenerational investigation that could take a couple of years to present a defense.
Judge Newby countered by saying that a couple of years seemed like an unrealistic period of time. However, Judge Newby noted that he had never done a capital punishment trial but he would still need to be shown why that lengthy amount of time would be necessary.
Geiger’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 3rd, 2023 at 2:30 pm and is a bond appearance. It is unlikely that a trial date will be set at that court appearance and Newby mentioned that a scheduling conference may be held sometime in January.
