Photo by Sam Yu A Frederick County Sheriff's deputy questions Charles Hahn about the fatal shooting of Hahn’s wife, Pamela Lynn Hahn, at their home on Wood Street in Woodsboro on Oct. 28.

But because Charles Eugene Hahn 's fate has not been decided in court, family members are unwilling to talk.

The stakes are high for Charles Hahn , Pamela Hahn 's loved ones and the community at large.

If Charles Hahn , 57, of Woodsboro, is convicted early next year when he goes on trial for first-degree murder, prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

Hahn's trial in Frederick County Circuit Court is set to run four weeks, Jan. 5 to Jan. 30, 2009, more than 14 months after the killing. In April, Hahn waived his right to a speedy trial.

He continues to be held without bail in the Frederick County Adult Detention Center and has declined a request for an interview.

The loss of her daughter has taken a toll on Pamela Hahn 's mother, Ella Mae Earp Shirk. Suffering a heart attack when she learned of her daughter's death, Earp Shirk has had a pacemaker implanted.

"My kids almost lost me the same night," Earp Shirk said recently, declining further comment, citing the upcoming trial.

Pamela Hahn was 45 when she died. She is survived by two brothers, two sisters, a daughter and a son.

For the prosecutors and public defenders handling the case and for the families involved, the trial will be intense. The Hahn case will be the first time in about five years the death penalty has been on the table.

Aggravating circumstances in the homicide prompted prosecutors, after consultation with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, to pursue a death sentence against Charles Hahn .

Prosecutors also consulted with Pamela Hahn 's family before making the decision.

Court documents indicate that a sex offense involving a bullet and a handgun was committed at the time of the attack and contributed to Pamela Hahn 's death.

In addition to being shot in the right side of her face and the left side of her chest, Pamela Hahn was shot in the vagina, according to court documents.

She was shot as 911 dispatchers listened after receiving a call from her cell phone about 12:15 a.m.

Charles Hahn is accused of shooting his wife at the family residence on Wood Street.

Deputies found Pamela Hahn unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom. They found her cell phone and a Springfield Armory .40-caliber XD40 handgun behind the driver's seat of Charles Hahn 's 1999 Ford F-150, documents state.

In addition to the first-degree murder charge, he is charged with two other felonies: first-degree sex offense and use of a handgun in a violent crime.

The shooting was one of three domestic-related crimes in October that claimed the lives of local women.

However, the case is the only one that will be tried in the criminal justice system, because the two men believed responsible for the deaths in the two other cases committed suicide.

Circuit Court Judge G. Edward Dwyer Jr. has set aside June 25 and June 26 to hear defense arguments for suppressing evidence and Sept. 4 for any other legal motions before the trial begins.

Defending Charles Hahn are Assistant Public Defenders Eric Reed, Margaret Teahan and Stephen Musselman.

Prosecuting the case are State''s Attorney Charlie Smith , Deputy State's Attorney Nanci Hamm and Assistant State's Attorney Kirsten Brown.

"I firmly believe that defendants who commit the most heinous murders deserve the death penalty," Smith said.

The prosecution of Charles Hahn is the first time Smith will seek the death penalty since taking office in January 2007.

Scott Rolle, his predecessor, sought the death penalty at least three times during his three terms in office. However, for different reasons, each of the cases ended with the defendants serving life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

In those cases: