New date for Morrow murder trial New date for Morrow murder trial (February 08, 2006)

The murder trial of Joe Morrow, the man accused of killing his wife Donna in their Menlo Park home in 1991, is now set to begin February 15 in San Mateo County Superior Court. He is charged with committing murder for financial gain, and faces life in prison without parole if convicted.

The trial was set to begin January 17. After numerous delays by Mr. Morrow's defense attorney, the latest postponement was due to prosecutor Steve Wagstaffe's sudden health problem.

Mr. Wagstaffe said he estimates that pretrial motions will take about two weeks to complete, with jury selection starting at the end of February.

Mr. Morrow told police his 37-year-old wife walked out of their College Avenue home on December 19, 1991, following an argument. He is accused of killing her and burying her body on undeveloped property he owned in Los Gatos.

In 1993, before he could be charged with his wife's death, Mr. Morrow fled the country. He was discovered living under an assumed name in the Philippines 10 years later; he was arrested on passport fraud charges in January 2003 and extradited to the United States.

The Morrows had four young children at the time of Ms. Morrow's disappearance.

Her skeletal remains were discovered in September 2003 in the spot where a handyman said he'd been instructed by Mr. Morrow to dig a deep hole shortly before Christmas in 1991.

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