Murphy Returns to Court Wednesday as State Opposes Three Pending Motions

Andrea Murphy is scheduled to return to Saline County District Court Wednesday morning as several major pretrial issues remain pending in the animal cruelty case stemming from the December 2025 euthanasia of three puppies at the Salina Animal Shelter.

A motion hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, in Courtroom 300 before District Judge Andrea Swisher. Shanna Ludes is listed as court reporter and Kaleigh Sanders as bailiff.

The State filed three responses Monday, Sept. 21, opposing Murphy's efforts to change the trial location, disqualify the Saline County Attorney's Office and dismiss the charges.

Murphy faces three counts of cruelty to animals, each a Class A nonperson misdemeanor, related to the Dec. 16, 2025 euthanasia of three parvovirus-positive puppies at the shelter.

Change of venue

The State is asking Swisher to deny Murphy's request to move the trial outside Saline County.

Murphy's filings have cited news coverage, social-media activity and public comments surrounding the case as evidence that obtaining an impartial jury in Saline County could be difficult.

The State argues those numbers do not establish prejudice among potential jurors. Prosecutors say Murphy has submitted no community survey, polling, affidavits or testimony showing that Saline County residents cannot remain impartial.

The State argues any actual juror bias should instead be addressed during jury selection.

Salina311 cited in venue filing

Salina311 is specifically identified several times in the State's response to Murphy's request for a change of venue.

The filing references Salina311's July coverage of Murphy's publicly filed court motions and an Aug. 27 story reporting her separate Salina Municipal Court disposition. The State characterizes that coverage as reporting on public records and court proceedings.

The State also compares social-media engagement surrounding Salina311's coverage with higher engagement on earlier Wichita television coverage cited by the defense.

Prosecutors argue those engagement figures do not establish where readers live, whether they are Saline County residents or whether they could become potential jurors.

The broader filing also names KAKE, KWCH and KSN, all Wichita-market television stations, and references posts from the advocacy group Humane Salina.

Among Salina-based news outlets, Salina311 appears to be the only news organization specifically identified in the State's filing.

The State argues that accurate reporting of publicly available court filings and proceedings does not, by itself, establish that Murphy cannot receive a fair trial in Saline County.

No court has ruled that Salina311's coverage, or any other media coverage cited in Murphy's filings, has prejudiced the jury pool.

Motion to dismiss

The State is also opposing Murphy's request to dismiss all three charges before trial.

Murphy has argued, among other things, that the euthanasia was protected as an accepted veterinary practice or as the humane killing of diseased animals by a shelter employee.

Prosecutors argue those defenses depend on factual disputes that should be decided at trial, including whether the injections were intraperitoneal or intracardiac, whether the puppies were conscious, whether sedation was used and whether the procedure was humane.

The State's response cites eyewitness accounts describing conscious puppies, no sedation and injections in the chest or rib area.

Murphy has maintained that an intravenous attempt failed and that she instead used an intraperitoneal injection into the abdominal cavity. Prosecutors argue those competing accounts present factual questions for a jury rather than grounds for dismissing the case before trial.

County attorney disqualification

The third response concerns Murphy's supplemental request to disqualify Saline County Attorney John Reynolds and appoint a special prosecutor.

The State argues Murphy has not established an actual conflict of interest.

According to the filing, Reynolds had not made a decision against filing charges when he initially spoke with Salina Police. The State says the matter was later sent to the Saline County Sheriff's Office because the allegations involved a City of Salina department and City employees.

Prosecutors say the Sheriff's Office investigation was a continuation of the same case, not a reopening of a previously closed investigation.

The State says Reynolds made the charging decision only after the Sheriff's Office completed its investigation and submitted a probable-cause affidavit.

The filing also says the case was assigned after charging to Assistant County Attorney John Mattox and Judge Swisher in an effort to reduce local connections to the shelter controversy.

According to the State, neither Mattox nor Swisher lives in Salina, and Reynolds has not directed the prosecution's post-filing litigation.

The State further disclosed that Reynolds authorized Mattox to offer Murphy diversion. Murphy declined the offer.

The judge has not ruled on the merits of the three motions.

Another motion hearing is currently scheduled for Oct. 2 at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom 300.

Murphy's jury trial is scheduled for Nov. 9, 10, 12 and 13, with proceedings beginning at 8:15 a.m. each day.

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