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Pipe Bomb Murder Suspect’s Trial Delayed

The trial of a man accused of helping a woman carry out a failed attempt to kill her ex-husband with a pipe bomb will be reset Wednesday morning in Washington C...
Mugley-Cox

The trial of a man accused of helping a woman carry out a failed attempt to kill her ex-husband with a pipe bomb will be reset Wednesday morning in Washington County Circuit Court, said deputy prosecutor Brian Lamb.

Andrew Cox, 20, was set to start his criminal use of a prohibited weapon trial Wednesday morning, but that will be pushed back to an undetermined date, Lamb told 5NEWS.

Cox’s co-defendant, Shirley Mugley, has been charged with conspiracy to commit capital murder. Her trial was delayed Oct. 14 to allow Mugley to undergo a mental evaluation to determine whether she is mentally fit to stand trial, according to court records. Her trial is set for Dec. 31 at 9 a.m. in Circuit Judge William Storey’s courtroom, records show.

Mental evaluations are common in capital murder and similar cases.

Mugley and the man charged with being her conspirator in the pipe-bomb plot pleaded not guilty at their August arraignment, according to court records. Mugley is charged with felony conspiracy to commit capital murder, criminal possession of a destructive device and criminal use of prohibited weapons.

The West Fork woman is accused of hatching a scheme to kill her ex-husband with a pipe bomb.

Mugley was booked into jail on $50,000 bond. Cox has been released on a $5,000 bond. He appeared at the arraignment in civilian clothes and left shortly after entering his not-guilty plea. As seen in the photo with this story, she appeared before the magistrate in orange jail clothing and returned to the lockup area after entering her not-guilty plea.

Washington County deputies said Cox told police he went with Mugley to buy materials to make the pipe bomb. Cox and Mugley made the bomb in the basement of Mugley’s house on the 14000 block of Highway 265 South, according to a preliminary arrest report.

Cox had a previous romantic relationship with Mugley, the report states.

Police said they obtained video of Mugley buying a cell phone that matches the phone that was attached to the pipe bomb, the report states. According to the report, police recorded a phone call between Cox and Mugley during which Mugley discussed the pipe bomb and the conspiracy to kill her husband.

The pipe bomb was found in April in the Illinois River in rural Washington County, according to the sheriff’s office. Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said Cox threw the pipe bomb in the river after he “chickened out.”

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