Joe Clyde Daniels case: Trial for Joseph, Krystal Daniels set to begin on June 1

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nearly three years after Joe Clyde Daniels disappeared, the case is finally headed to trial.

A hearing was held Monday morning via Zoom, where Judge David Wolfe set the trial date for June 1. It's expected to continue until at least June 11, and a jury will be brought in from outside of the area.

However, the trial date is contingent upon jury trials resuming by then after the Tennessee Supreme Court suspended in-person court proceedings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in December, the court extended the state of emergency, which suspends all jury trials, until March 31.

An in-person hearing in the Daniels case is set for April 1.

FILE

The trial will take place more than three years after the 5-year-old disappeared from his Dickson County home on April 4, 2018. There have been many legal delays along the way, and then the pandemic hit, delaying things more.

Joe Clyde's parents are charged in the case and will be tried together. His father, Joseph, is charged with homicide. Joseph confessed to killing his son, but then recanted, claiming he was coerced. Joe Clyde's mother, Krystal, is charged with aggravated child neglect for not protecting her son.

This is a highly anticipated case. One of the big questions is: What evidence do prosecutors have against the parents?

Defense attorneys have said that there is no blood or other physical evidence in discovery linking the parents to the death of the child.

Authorities believe Joe Clyde is deceased, but his body has never been recovered. There are no witnesses. So, how do you even prove the child is dead?

Meanwhile, the defense argues the possibility that Joe Clyde was abducted and possibly still alive somewhere.