Attorneys file motions in case of woman charged with killing grandaughter

Joyce Garrard

With six weeks before the scheduled start of an Etowah county womans murder trial, attorneys for the state and Joyce Garrard filed motions to Etowah County Circuit Judge Billy Ogletree asking him to sanction the other side for violating his orders. Garrard faces trial for capital murder for the February 2012 death of her 9-year-old granddaughter, Savannah Hardin After allegedly forced the child to run for three hours as punishment for a lie. Garrard’s attorneys, Dani Bone and Richard Rhea, said the Etowah County District Attorney’s Office failed to follow a scheduling order set by Ogletree regarding disclosing expert witnesses during discovery.  The district attorney’s office said Garrard’s attorneys have filed their motions in an attempt to influence the jury pool.  Garrard’s attorneys said the district attorney’s office did not produce its list of expert witnesses to give to the defense in time for the initial scheduling order. Ogletree in January ordered both sides to produce an expert witness list and reports by March 31.  As evidence, Bone and Rhea produced lists for each side, with the defense submitting its list on March 31 and the state submitting its list on April 30. On April 4, the deadline for submitting the lists was extended to May 5.  Garrard’s attorneys are asking Ogletree to either dismiss the charges or not allow anyone on the April 30 list to testify.