Murder trial delayed for Manayunk’s Gregory Mitros [UPDATED]

Fri. 10/19 update: The trial for a Manayunk man accused of killing his wife in their Markle Street home last year has been delayed. 

According to Gregory Mitros’ brother in law, Joe Genovese, the details are still being worked out. 

“It’s going to be rescheduled but we don’t know when it’s going to be. They’re up there now figuring it out,” he told NewsWorks this morning. The trial was originally scheduled to begin today. 

Gregory Mitros, 52, faces a third degree murder charge in connection to the death of his 64-year-old wife, Lynda, who died on June 20, 2011, from a single gunshot wound to the head.

The trial was set to begin at 9 a.m. Friday in room 907 of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

Mitros’ brother-in-law Joe Genovese said Mitros was notified Wednesday that the trial may not start Friday as currently scheduled. Mitros was told that a jury is currently being selected for another trial to be held in that courtroom, and that the start of his non-jury trial was pending the completion of that unrelated matter.

According to court records, Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart is scheduled to preside over the case.

Minutes after Mitros called 911 that June night, police responded to the 100 block of Markle Street to find Lynda’s body at the bottom of the steps in their home. In that phone call to police, Gregory said “I shot my wife.”

In a November 2011 NewsWorks article, Gregory explains how he tried to grab the gun from Lynda’s hand after he noticed her carrying it down the steps inside their home. 

“When I grabbed it with one hand, her other hand came up. We both had two hands on it, struggling when, boom, it just happened,” he said.

Mitros told NewsWorks that he, along with neighbors and family members, had concerns that Lynda might kill herself before the June incident.

Friends and family were able to raise the $15,000 in bail money necessary to release him under the conditions that he remove all weapons from the house in addition to refraining from going to bars and using any potential life-insurance money for collateral.

Court records indicate an anticipated one-week jury trial.