LACROSSE, Wis. – Prosecutors suffered a setback in their murder case against a Winona woman accused of running her truck over her husband after a heated argument and killing him. The prosecution wanted to take the jury to the scene when the trial of Lori Ann Philips begins next week. Judge Elliott Levine said no. Phillips, 51, lived in suburban Holmen at the time. The death was at the couple’s house. Phillips claimed she found his body in a snowbank on the driveway the morning after. At a pre-trial hearing Monday, prosecutor Andrew Burdick argued that jurors would gain an essential feel for what happened by visiting the site: “It’s an atypical setup.” He said the main house is on a hill with a separate mancave, a shed, and a barn behind the shed. Said Judge Levine: “We have a plethora of evidence about the scene that will be presented to the jury. Quite frankly, I think a jury view would be redundant and be a waste of time.”
Phillips. He trial is scheduled for one week beginning November 6.