Opening Statements In Beverly Murder Trial Could Come Wednesday

BEVERLY, MA -- Jury selection in the trial of a man accused of killing his wife in their Beverly home in 2015 was expected to continue Tuesday. Opening statements in the trial of Axel Scherer, 48, could come as early as Wednesday. Scherer has admitted to the murder and is expected to mount an insanity defense.

According to the Salem News, Salem Superior Court Judge James Lang offered to recuse himself Monday after realizing he knew some of the victim's family members. The defense declined his offer.

Scherer is charged with first degree murder in the strangling death of the author Edith "Edie" Black-Scherer, 45. Scherer was taken to Beverly Hospital in critical condition and died of her injuries several days later.

He initially told investigators he "lost it" because he had stopped taking his medication. While originally deemed incompetent to stand trial, he was deemed competent during a June 2017 status hearing. At the time of the murder, the couple was in the process of getting divorced.

For more on this story, see the Salem News. Subscribe to Beverly Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Patch file photo via Shutterstock.