TRAVERSE CITY — An Old Mission Peninsula couple charged with embezzling cash, cars and valuables from a wealthy doctor will be tried together, a circuit court judge has ruled.
David and Ellen Martin in January pleaded not guilty to charges they took advantage of their role as friends and caregivers of Jay Ambrosini, an Illinois radiologist who retired to northern Michigan and died in 2021 of Parkinson’s disease.
“Judicial economy does warrant the cases being tried at the same time,” 13th Circuit Court Judge Charles Hamlyn said before granting a prosecution motion.
The Martins will continue to be represented by separate attorneys — William Burdette for David Martin and Michael Corcoran for Ellen Martin — as the case proceeds to trial Oct. 1.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Sept. 30, with as many as 75 prospective jurors called to the Park Place Hotel’s conference room for voir dire — a Latin term meaning “to speak the truth.”
During the voir dire process, defense attorneys and prosecutors in a jury trial question prospective jurors about their life experiences and opinions to determine whether they can reach a fair verdict.
Defense attorneys had asked the judge for a change of venue, citing concerns that media coverage may have tainted the jury pool, although Judge Hamlyn said voir dire would reveal such problems, if any.
Grand Traverse County Assistant Prosecutor Daniel Olson, during a preliminary hearing earlier this year, called witnesses who said David Michael Martin, 73, controlled Ambrosini’s life, commandeered his finances and threatened to put the doctor in a nursing home.
Olson said Ellen Lynne Martin, 68, was aware of her husband’s activities and, at times, participated.
David Martin is charged with one count of embezzlement of more than $100,000 from a vulnerable adult, one count of attempted embezzlement of more than $100,000, and one count of embezzlement of more than $20,000 by an agent or trustee.
Ellen Martin is charged with one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult.
The Martins, in telephone and text message conversations, previously told the Record-Eagle that, as longtime friends of Ambrosini, they provided the ailing doctor with gourmet meals, Sunday drives and companionship.
The Martins said they treated Ambrosini like a family member, delivered excellent in-home care, and that it was actually others who took advantage of Ambrosini’s finances.
Olson said the prosecution is expected to call between 15 and 18 witnesses. The trial, according to court records, is expected to last seven days.