Andrus murder trial delayed until 2025

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

The murder trial of a Van Wert man won’t take place until 2025.

During a pre-trial conference held in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court Tuesday morning, the attorney representing Larry Andrus Jr., 49, said he’s still waiting on a report from a medical examiner hired by the defense. Attorney Barry Schroeder said he expects the report from Dr. L.J. Dragovic soon. It’s believed Dragovic’s opinion will differ from that of Van Wert Deputy Coroner Chris Ulrich as to the cause of death in the case.

A final pre-trial conference was scheduled for January 6 and it’s expected that a trial date will be established then.

Andrus will be tried on charges of murder, voluntary manslaughter, two counts of involuntary manslaughter and strangulation. The charges are connected to the September 30, 2023, death of his stepfather, Roy D. Watts, 59, at his home on S. Vine St.

According to a police report, Andrus and Watts were involved in a verbal argument, followed by a physical altercation. The report stated that Andrus was interviewed by Van Wert Police shortly after the incident, along with at least one other witness to the altercation.

He was indicted by a grand jury on November 2, but fled the area. He was then arrested November 8 by U.S. Marshals in Bay County, Florida. According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, he was traveling on a Greyhound bus from Pennsylvania and was scheduled to arrive at a Bay County tattoo shop for an interview. Once the bus was identified, members of the Florida Caribbean Regional Task Force, Panama City Division, pulled it over and arrested Andrus without incident.

Andrus was booked into the Bay County Jail and waived extradition back to Ohio. He was transported back to Van Wert County November 29 of last year. During arraignment that same day, he entered a not guilty plea and bond was set at $500,000. Schroeder filed notice in January of this year that Andrus intends to claim self-defense at the trial.

Andrus was originally scheduled to stand trial August 12-14, but it was postponed after a handful of late motions were filed.

The murder charge is an unclassified felony. The voluntary manslaughter charge and two involuntary manslaughter charges are all first-degree felonies, and the strangulation charge and felonious assault charges are second-degree felonies.

Another murder trial is pending in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Ryan Houser, 39, of Rockford was originally scheduled to stand trial the week of April 15 but it was delayed and a new trial date has yet to be established. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for next Friday, November 22. Houser is charged with aggravated murder, an unclassified felony; murder, an unclassified felony; possessing a weapon under disability, a third-degree felony, and tampering with evidence, also a third-degree felony. The charges are tied to the September 2023 fatal shooting of Houser’s girlfriend, Barbara Ganger, 43, of Van Wert.