The homicide trial for Jere Bagenstose, charged in the presumed death of his wife nearly 40 years ago, has been moved back six months.

The rescheduling follows the appointment of an out-of-county judge due to the recusal of all Lancaster County judges in February.

Retired Adams County judge John D. Kuhn will oversee the trial because two former county judges might testify at trial, and that could have created a conflict of interest if a current county judge were required to rule on their credibility. 

While Bagenstose’s trial was scheduled to begin April 22, it will now begin Oct. 21 to accommodate Kuhn's schedule and is expected to last two weeks. A hearing on pretrial motions and evidence admissibility will take place on April 22 and 23.

Bagenstose, 69, of Pequea Township, was long the main suspect in the presumed death of Maryann Bagenstose. She was last seen June 5, 1984, and her body has never been found. However, it wasn’t until December 2022 that District Attorney Heather Adams announced his arrest on one count of homicide.

At the time, Adams said that while there was little new evidence in the case, there have been advances in training and the law regarding no-body homicide investigations since the 1980s. 

Bagenstose spent about five months in Lancaster County Prison after his arrest, and he was released May 24 after posting $925,000 cash bail through a bail bond agent.

Being granted bail when charged with first- or second-degree murder in Pennsylvania is extremely rare and has not happened in recent history in the county.

Newsletter

What to Read Next

Tags