Heather Cook, former Suffragan Bishop of Maryland, will appear in court this afternoon, one day ahead of her scheduled trial date. The Baltimore Sun speculates that she is considering a plea deal, having earlier plead not guilty to all charges relating to the death in December of Thomas Palermo.
Her attorney declined to comment this morning, but has previously said that they were considering a plea and didn’t want to go through a trial “for everyone’s sake.”
Cook, 58, has pleaded not guilty to all 13 counts against her, including automobile manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident, which left 41-year-old bicyclist Thomas Palermo dead.
If convicted of all charges, Cook could be sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. She is free on $2.5 million bail.
We will post an update as news develops.