NORTHAMPTON — Coronavirus outbreaks on the West Coast have delayed the trial of a Northampton woman accused of physically harming her 7-year-old daughter until later this fall.
Julie Conley’s trial — on the charges of assault and battery on a child permitting substantial bodily injury, and assault and battery on a child causing substantial bodily injury — was set to begin Monday in Hampshire Superior Court. The prosecution made a motion, however, to delay the trial until Nov. 2, citing concerns about witnesses who work in locations affected by the coronavirus.
Conley’s ex-husband, Christopher Conley, was found guilty last month of trying to kill their daughter by injecting her with drain cleaner and overdosing her on painkillers. He was sentenced to 16 to 18 years in prison.
A witness in the case who conducted two surgeries that saved Conley’s daughter’s life after she was poisoned currently works at a hospital in the San Francisco area.
“His hospital has cases of the coronavirus that they’re dealing with,” Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Linda Pisano said Monday.
The hospital has issued a strong advisory to its employees against traveling, and a ban is expected later this week, Pisano said.
Another witness and doctor works in a hospital in Seattle, a city where there has been a COVID-19 outbreak. The witness also expressed concern about leaving, Pisano noted.
Pisano said that the request to delay the trial met no objection from Conley’s defense attorney and was granted by Judge Richard Carey.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.