Judge’s retirement delays trial of Alabama teen charged with killing five family members
Published 2:11 pm Friday, October 15, 2021
The trial of an Alabama teenager accused of killing five members of his family is being delayed.
Mason Sisk, of Elmont, appeared Thursday for a pre-trial conference before Limestone County Circuit Judge Robert Baker, news outlets reported. The now-16-year-old is accused of shooting and killing his three younger siblings, his father and stepmother in 2019. He was 14 at the time of the murders. He is being tried as an adult.
Sisk’s trial was initially set for Nov. 1, but his attorney said that’s probably not going to happen since the presiding judge, Baker, is retiring Nov. 2 and his case must be transferred to a new judge.
As of now, the trial is set for Nov. 1, but Sisk’s attorney, Michael Sizemore, said he’s almost positive it will be moved again.
“We don’t have that order yet, it will likely be sometime in 2022, hopefully the early part of 2022,” he said.
In April, Sisk pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of capital murder in the case.
“In Mason’s case, it’s really difficult given the facts and the charges to settle something like that. It makes it incredibly difficult to enter any kind of negotiated plea where all parties are satisfied with the outcome,” Sizemore said.
Sisk is being held in the Limestone County Jail.