Judge: Evidence Seized on Jarrett's Property Stays In

A Howard County Circuit Court judge ruled Thursday that evidence discovered in the April search of Robert Jarrett’s home may be used in his trial on charges of killing his wife.

During the search of the Elkridge property, police uncovered the remains of Jarrett’s former wife, Christine, mixed with concrete and buried beneath a shed in the yard. 

Jarrett is accused of first-degree murder in the death. He reported his wife missing more than 21 years ago. 

Thursday's hearing was one of several scheduled to determine what evidence can be used in the case. 

According to Senior Assistant State's Attorney James J. Dietrich, Judge Richard Bernhardt denied defense motions to suppress evidence obtained from the property.

Bernhardt has already ruled that evidence of “domestic discord” in the Jarrett household could be used as part of the prosecution's arguments and that since Christine Jarrett's remains have been cremated, there cannot be a reexamination of the remains.

Read full coverage of the Robert Jarrett case on Elkridge Patch.

Robert and Christine Jarrett lived together at the Claire Drive residence  until 1991, when she disappeared.

Howard County police arrested Jarrett in April of this year and on May 20 he was indicted on a first-degree murder charge.

In a case that will rely less on physical evidence and more on decades-old recollections, Bernhardt has said he’ll have to act as a “gatekeeper,” determining what evidence is reliable enough to be presented at the trial, which was scheduled to begin Oct. 1, but has been postponed.

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- Accused Wife Killer Called 'Normal Working Man'

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With reporting by Patch Editor Elizabeth Janney