DYER COUNTY, Tenn. (Court TV) — A man accused of killing his wife more than 10 years ago will not stand trial after a judge dismissed the charges, finding the statute of limitations had expired.
David Swift appears in court Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Court TV)
At his 2024 trial, a jury found David Swift not guilty of the first-degree premeditated murder of his wife, Karen Swift, but was unable to agree on a charge of voluntary manslaughter. Two weeks after the mistrial on that count, David was re-indicted on the charge of voluntary manslaughter.
READ MORE | TN v. David Swift: Karen Swift Murder Trial
On Monday, Circuit Judge Mark Hayes ruled the statute of limitations had passed and that the prosecution had failed to commence their case within the acceptable period, and dismissed the charge against David. The ruling orders him to be released from custody, subject to outstanding warrants in other states.
A retrial had been scheduled for May 7.
Karen was initially reported missing on Oct. 30, 2011. Her car was found with a shredded tire near her home. On Dec. 10, 2011, her body was found in an abandoned cemetery. Her cause of death was ruled “blunt force injury of the head.”
David faces unrelated charges in Alabama for stalking his second wife, from whom he is divorced.
