SKOWHEGAN (AP) – A Canaan man accused of murdering his estranged wife and his live-in girlfriend in 2006 awaited a judge’s determination as to whether the state had sufficient evidence to show probable cause.

Shannon Atwood, 37, pleaded not guilty to killing Cheryl Murdoch, 37, whose body was found Aug. 11, 2006, in woods near Atwood’s mobile home, and his wife, Shirley Moon-Atwood, 35, whose body has never been found.

At a three-hour hearing Friday in Somerset County Superior Court, Atwood’s lawyer, John Alsop, put forth an “alternative suspect” defense by attempting to shift suspicion for Murdoch’s death onto Moon-Atwood.

Moon-Atwood has been missing since March 2006, and several extensive searches for her body have proven fruitless.

Alsop told Justice Nancy Mills that beyond the coincidence that both women were involved with his client, there is no evidence that he murdered either of them. Instead, he theorized that Moon-Atwood killed Murdoch in a jealous rage and that Atwood witnessed the murder and is covering it up.

“He’s taking the rap for her,” Alsop suggested. “He’s concealing her whereabouts.”

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Benson said that although some elements of the case are puzzling, “the evidence is not thin.”

“Every one of the explanations that (Atwood) offered for the disappearance of his wife is a lie,” the prosecutor said. He also noted that Moon-Atwood disappeared prior to the Murdoch killing.

Atwood is being held without bail and would likely go to trial in mid-2008. If Mills finds probable cause, his right to bail would be extinguished, but a judge could still agree to set bail.

Regardless of the judge’s decision, another hearing would be set to argue bail.

AP-ES-10-01-07 1030EDT

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