A South Shore man accused of trying to kill his wife by forcing her to take a combination of over-the-counter medications appeared at an El Dorado Superior Court hearing Thursday.
Shackled and dressed in bright-orange prison garb, Konolus Smith sat calmly as attorneys discussed last-minute preparations ahead of a trial expected to begin Dec. 11.
Smith addressed the court near the end of the hearing, telling Judge Richard Specchio that he would like to ask his attorney, Jordan Morgenstern, a couple of questions.
The Meyers resident has pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted murder.
He has been accused of tying up his wife and forcing her to take a combination of medications, including Tylenol PM, Benadryl and ibuprofen in August.
Smith brought his wife to the emergency room at Barton Memorial Hospital on Aug. 29, saying she had overdosed on drugs in an attempted suicide, Lt. Les Lovell of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said in an interview in September.
When Smith's wife was interviewed afterward, she said her husband had tied her up and forced her to take pills, according to Lovell.
Smith had been sentenced to life in prison for a previous murder conviction but was out on parole at the time of his August arrest, Deputy District Attorney Peter O'Hara said in September.
A total of nine trials are set to begin Dec. 11, and Smith's could be delayed depending on where it falls on the priority list, according to Morgenstern.
The trial is expected to last six days.
A readiness hearing to determine if the trial will proceed as scheduled is set for Dec. 6.
