A judge has approved a forensic consultant to be a witness for the prosecution in the case of a Minocqua man accused of killing his wife decades ago.
70 year old Robin Mendez is charged with first-degree homicide in the April, 1982 death of his wife Barbara. The case went cold after Barbara Mendez's body was found at the credit union where she worked. No charges were brought.
The television program "Cold Justice" picked up the case and did an additional investigation that later involved the Oneida County Sheriff's Department.
District Attorney Michael Schiek recommended charges and Robin Mendez was taken into custody a year ago.
Wednesday in Oneida County Circuit Court, substitute Judge Jill Falstad of Marathon County granted a motion to have forensic consultant Christopher Robinson be allowed as a prosecution witness. Robinson's website lists tool mark examination among several other specialties. That analysis was key to his working on the Mendez case.
In the show, Robinson's work was a key to providing evidence used to convince Schiek to press charges.
A trial date has been set for April.
