A jury heard opening statements and the start of witness testimony Tuesday morning in Marshall County Superior Court No. 1 where Duane Longacre is accused of murder, arson and resisting law enforcement in the death of Jill McCarty of Plymouth.
Longacre, 36, is accused of murdering 59-year-old Jill McCarty at her Plum Street home in Plymouth on June 28, 2020. He allegedly set the home on fire and refused to comply with police with commands to surrender.
The State of Indiana, represented by Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Tami Napier and Nick Langowski, called several witnesses to testify including a key witness and people close to the victim, Plymouth Police Department officers Wallace Derifield and Jeremy Enyart, Captain Ed Marquardt and Lt. Darrin Miller of the Plymouth Fire Department, retired Indiana State Fire Marshal Investigator Fred Sumpter, Detective Ben McIntyre, and Forensic Pathologist Dr. LaTanya Watkins.
While the burden of proof is typically on the State of Indiana in a case at trial, Longacre’s defense counsel, Tom Black and Alex Hoover, also have the burden of proof for an insanity defense in this case. Hoover noted that in opening statements Tuesday morning.
The trial will resume Wednesday.
