A judge says a Jesup man who’s accused of murder can’t split his trial into two parts. Attorneys for 39-year-old Lynn LaMasters had asked that he be allowed to split his trial in two which would allow LaMasters to give both an insanity defense and a defense denying he killed his housemate, Patricia Rapaki. The judge ruled that since LaMasters intended to use the insanity defense only if the trial was split, the motion for an insanity defense is withdrawn. LaMasters is accused of killing the 43-year-old Rapaki, who was reported missing in January of 2004. She was reported missing on the same day that LaMasters led police on a car chase and then stabbed himself. Rapaki’s body was found in her Jesup home on January 12th of 2004.
