Judge moves re-trial of 1985 Gaffney woman’s death

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — A judge has ordered a change of venue in the re-trial of a man charged with killing a Gaffney woman.

The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reports that Judge Mark Hayes agreed with 54-year-old Ernest Riddle’s defense attorneys to move the trial to shield jurors from media coverage.

Riddle has been sentenced to death three times for the murder of Abbie Sue Mullinax. Riddle’s brother, Jason, told police he and his brother went into her home through a window in 1985 and stole money before Ernest Riddle cut her throat.

The state Supreme Court in 2006 granted Riddle a new trial because prosecutors never told his attorneys about an interview with Riddle’s brother. That trial was supposed to happen this month but has been postponed. No new trial date has been set.

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Information from: Herald-Journal, http://www.goupstate.com/