FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The court martial trial for a soldier charged with the murder of his pregnant wife, Meghan Santiago, has been postponed after the military judge issued a continuance on Saturday.
Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Santiago is charged with murder and other crimes in the incident.
On Thursday, the trial began with panel selection. The defense team and the government interviewed potential panelists to find eight unbiased members out of the 14 who were selected. These members ranged in rank from colonel to chief warrant officers.
By the end of day one, all 14 panel members were excused after almost 10 hours of strenuous interviews. The reasons varied for these dismissals, whether it was personal bias, outside obligations or prior knowledge about the case.
A Clarksville Now article was entered into public exhibit after it became known that candidates had read up on the trial despite having ample time and knowledge that they would be sitting in the courtroom as potential jurors.
They reset the panel with new potential jurors on Friday, and even though they were able to find unbiased panel members, an issue arose on the admissibility of certain evidence.
The judge ruled against the admissibility of the evidence. The government then notified the judge of its intent to appeal that decision, according to Maj. Russell M. Gordon, director of Public Affairs, 1st Special Forces Command.
The case now goes to the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, and there’s no timeline for their decision.
Santiago will remain in pre-trial confinement.
On Sept. 27, 2021, Meghan Santiago sustained blunt force injuries and later died in the hospital, according to her autopsy report. An emergency C-section and brain surgery were performed in an attempt to save her and her unborn child. The baby girl survived being born eight weeks early, but Meghan died from her injuries.
Santiago is charged by the military with murder, bodily injury to an unborn child, and two specifications of assault.
The military judge for the case is Col. Travis Rogers. Sgt. Santiago is represented by defense attorney, Jason Marquez, Clinical Director and Adjunct Clinical Professor at Military Justice Clinic at the University of Houston, and defense counsel Maj. Amy Gransdos and Capt. Elizabeth Paillere. The trial counsel is led by Maj. Michael T. Gilmore, Maj. Capt. Derek Depew.
Correction: The statement on the decision to appeal came from Maj. Russell M. Gordon.