Aug 7, 2017 2 min read

There was no trial, but there was some tribulation.

A dozen potential jurors journeyed to Washington County Courthouse in a rainstorm Monday morning only to find a homicide case was not on the court calendar.

Of the 12, nine had neglected to phone the number of a recording that would have told them not to bother. Three heard the message but figured they’d better show up anyway, said Court Administrator Patrick Grimm.

Because there was to be no trial, the jurors would not be paid their $9 per day or 17 cents per mile as set by state law. Those who needed them would, however, be issued letters to show employers that they had an excused absence from work due to jury summonses, of which more than 100 were sent.

The homicide case carries a possible death penalty, and potential jurors who feel they would be unable to impose it under any circumstances are excluded from the panel, so the court administrator’s office casts a broad net.

Brandon Lee Wolowski, 23, of Washington, has been held in the county jail without bond since January 2013 in connection with the slaying of Matthew Mathias, 37, and the wounding of Mathias’ girlfriend, Michelle Powell, 38, who survived. Wolowski also is charged with aggravated assault and robbery with infliction of serious bodily injury in the case stemming from the theft of guns from a home in the 900 block of Fayette Street in Washington.

Judge John DiSalle has scheduled Wolowski’s attorney, Noah Geary, and Assistant District Attorney Leslie Ridge to meet for a pretrial conference Aug. 21.