Trending
LISBON -- Christopher Morrison Sr., the Liverpool Township man accused of shooting his wife to death in late December, is scheduled to face a jury trial on April 2, with a further status hearing at 9:40 p.m. March 4.
Morrison, 34, Shadyside Road, East Liverpool, appeared Monday in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for the first time with his defense attorneys Joe King and Terry Grenga, who were appointed to his case during his arraignment earlier this month.
Judge Megan Bickerton noted that the deadline for trying the case falls on April 2. No waiver of time had been filed by the defense.
County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Weikart, who was accompanied by county Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino, said discovery was provided to the defense, outlining the evidence, and he's ready to try the case.
King said the only discovery the defense was still waiting for was the affidavit for the search warrant.
Morrison remains jailed under a $1.5 million cash or surety bond.
Charges against him include aggravated murder and murder, both unclassified felonies, fifth-degree felonies of gross abuse of a corpse and possessing criminal tools, two counts of third-degree felony tampering with evidence, along with two three-year firearm specifications for allegedly using a gun.
According to the indictment, on or about Dec. 20, Morrison allegedly did "treat a human corpse in a way that would outrage reasonable community sensibilities."
On Dec. 18, he allegedly "did purposely, and with prior calculation and design, cause the death of Tiffany Morrison." The tampering with evidence charges stem from Dec. 18 to Dec. 20 and the possessing criminal tools charge stems from Dec. 20 for having a devise with the purpose to use it criminally.
According to Columbiana County Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino, if convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Morrison has remained in custody since Dec. 20 when Liverpool Township police discovered Tiffany's remains in a shed on their Liverpool Township property on Shadyside Road. They had responded to the residence after being notified about a possible homicide. He was suspected of shooting her to death inside their home, then moving her remains to the outdoor shed. She was 34 years old.
According to an affidavit filed by Sergeant Detective Robert Ramsey of the Liverpool Township Police Department in Columbiana County Municipal Court, Morrison allegedly admitted to a close friend that he shot his wife and then her remains were moved to the shed.
Christopher and Tiffany Morrison resided together at the Shadyside Road residence, along with their children and his mother. Further investigation revealed that Tiffany Morrison had last been seen on Monday, Dec. 18.