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York County court halts release of man awaiting retrial in wife's death
YORK, Pa. - An appeals court has halted the release of a man awaiting a new trial on charges of having killed his wife and then faking an all-terrain vehicle accident to cover up the slaying a decade ago.Local media report that a York County judge last week had cleared the way for the release of 49-year-old Joe Fitzpatrick III of Chanceford Township. He's accused of having drowned 43-year-old Annemarie Fitzpatrick in a creek in June 2012 and then telling police they crashed their ATV in the water.The judge cited a state constitutional provision saying bail should be allowed except in first-degree murder or mandatory life term cases, and said details of the trial and Fitzpatrick's lack of a significant criminal record made bail a viable option.