The trial of John W. Ludwig, former detective with the U.S. Marshal Service and Ashburn resident facing first-degree murder charges in the death of his wife, has been postponed.
The trial was scheduled to begin 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 23.
Earlier this month, Ludwig’s attorney Alex Levay requested to suppress evidence obtained by police during conversations with Ludwig, without Levay present. Ludwig confessed to shooting his wife, Karen Ludwig, 38, during an argument in their Ashburn home July 4, reportedly in a video-taped confession presented at a preliminary hearing in September.
"At the time, the judge granted the appeal based on the Supreme Court case Mimmick v. Minnesota," said Commonwealth Attorney Jim Plowman. "We appealed it."
After the commonwealth moved to appeal the ruling, the trial was postponed.
"Right now, we are waiting to see what the Court of Appeals does with the appeal," Plowman said. "If they agree with us, the case will be reversed and set for trial with his [Ludwig’s] statements used for evidence. He can appeal to a higher court."