By By Lisa Tindell
news reporter
A second trial has been set for Daniel Wade Moore, who is accused of the 1999 murder of former Brewton resident Karen Croft Tipton.
Moore was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death after a November 2002 trial in Decatur, where the murder was committed. A retrial of the case, ordered by Judge Steve Haddock, has been set for Feb. 11, 2008.
Tipton, 39, was found beaten and stabbed in her home by her husband, psychiatrist David Tipton.
The death sentence handed down for Moore was overturned by Circuit Judge Glenn Thompson, who originally announced the conviction and sentencing.
According to reports in The Huntsville Times, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals ruled Friday that Thompson must recuse himself from presiding over the new trial set for Moore.
The appeals court, in a 5-0 decision, ruled that Thompson must step down from the case because of animosity between himself and prosecutor Don Valeska of the state attorney general’s office.
Moore will again face a jury to face five counts of capital murder charges in the death of Tipton.
The charges state that the murder was committed during the commission of a burglary, robbery, sexual abuse, kidnapping and rape or attempted rape, which is why there are five counts of capital murder.
The family has created a Web site dedicated to Tipton’s memory which includes a photographic tribute.
The site also gives a time line covering the case from the discovery of the body to the setting of the second trial.
Information on the site also includes information on the outcome of the first case and the subsequent over turning of the conviction. Evidence information is included. The Web site can be found at www.karentiptonmurder.com.
Attempts to contact members of Tipton’s family were not successful Tuesday.