Updated 12/08/2011 08:41 AM
Norwood’s attorney says his client is not a killer
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An attorney for 57-year-old Mark Allan Norwood said his client is innocent in the 1986 murder of Christine Morton.
Mark Allan Norwood
Norwood was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning, but his pre-trial hearing was rescheduled for Jan. 18.
Norwood was arrested last month in Bastrop after authorities said DNA evidence found on a bloody bandana found near Morton’s home tied him to the murder of Christine Morton.
Morton’s husband, Michael Morton, was recently exonerated after spending 24 years in prison for his wife’s death.
Authorities say DNA also ties Norwood to the 1988 murder of Debra Baker, but no charges have been filed in that case yet.
In both cases, the women were found bludgeoned to death in their homes.
Norwood's lawyer, Russell Hunt Jr., said, “Just because his DNA was found on the same bandana that had Christine Morton's DNA doesn't make him a killer, and there will be proof to show why that bandana, with his DNA, was so close to the Morton crime scene.”
Hunt Jr. said his client is innocent and there should not be a rush to judgment, given Williamson County’s wrongful conviction of Morton.
"The worst thing that can happen is a rush to judgment 25 years later," Hunt Jr. said. "We're going to be doing a lot of investigations to establish this time component and where Mr. Norwood was in general on what dates and I think that will help us to establish that there is a perfectly good explanation for this evidence.”
Norwood’s lawyer also said he would consider requesting of a change of venue, given the high profile nature of the case.