LISBON — While testifying during a suppression hearing Friday in the aggravated murder case against him, Christopher Morrison admitted to knowing where his wife was and what happened to her.

“So you knew where she was. You shot her, chopped her up and left her in the shed,” Columbiana County Assistant Prosecutor Steve Yacovone said.

“Yes,” Morrison replied.

The apparent admission occurred after several questions by Yacovone about why Morrison was under stress and referenced the shed and the death of his wife, Tiffany, 34, whose death was ruled a homicide after her remains were found in the shed Dec. 20, 2023 on their Shadyside Road property.

Morrison, 34, Liverpool Township, had been called to the stand to testify by his defense attorney Joe King regarding a defense motion to throw out his videotaped and audio-recorded statement to investigators. He acknowledged to county Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton that he knew he was waiving his rights and was subject to cross-examination when he took the stand.

During questioning by King, Morrison said he kept asking the police officer who took him into custody why he was pulled over and why he was being arrested, but he kept disregarding his questions. He had been handcuffed and placed in a holding cell, then when taken to an interview room, he said he only signed the Miranda waiver of his rights because the officer wouldn’t tell him “what we were there for.”

Under questioning by Yacovone, he admitted he was in street clothes, wasn’t handcuffed and the officers questioning him were pleasant. Yacovone asked if it would surprise him that he didn’t say “what’s this about” when asked to sign the Miranda waiver. In the recording, Yacovone said Morrison’s comment was “I guess it depends on what it’s about.”

Yacovone talked about how Morrison went through a lengthy narrative during the interview about what happened with his wife and Morrison answered that he was under a lot of stress.

“Were you under a lot of stress because Tiffany Morrison was chopped up in your home?” Yacovone asked, prompting an objection from King and Yacovone saying he was just trying to find out why he was under stress.

Morrison answered that he had a small business, three kids and was going through a rough patch in his marriage and other things.

“What are the other things?” Yacovone asked. “I don’t know,” Morrison said. “So the fact that Tiffany Morrison was dead in your shed at your home, that wasn’t a stressor for you?”

Morrison said it was.

Yacovone went on to note that during his interview, Morrison said he didn’t know where his wife went. The interview was done in two chunks, one over an hour long and the second session shorter, about 15 minutes, according to testimony by county Prosecutor’s Office Investigator Darin Morgan. Morgan and Liverpool Township Police Chief Jared Kinemond conducted the interview.

“It’s only when they brought up the shed that you didn’t want to answer questions,” Yacovone said. “I believe so,” Morrison replied.

It was at that point that Yacovone got Morrison to admit that he knew exactly where his wife was.

During Morgan’s testimony, Morgan said during the second interview session, Morrison starting asking questions related to information discovered from the search warrant at the property. He stopped talking, and then the interview was stopped when he invoked his Miranda rights.

Charges against Morrison include aggravated murder and murder, both unclassified felonies, fifth-degree felonies of gross abuse of a corpse and possessing criminal tools, two counts of third-degree felony tampering with evidence, along with two three-year firearm specifications for allegedly using a gun. He remains jailed under a $1.5 million cash or surety bond.

At the beginning of the hearing, county Chief Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Weikart talked briefly about the defense motion to suppress the DNA evidence. The motion claimed the officer who gathered the DNA sample wasn’t qualified or trained. King and fellow defense attorney Terry Grenga also claimed the seizure of the swab was illegal and taken in the absence of legal counsel. Both Weikart and King said the collection process for the DNA was a question for weight of evidence at trial.

King also argued that there’s a violation of his client’s right to counsel when the DNA swab, which was through a court order, was gathered.

Bickerton questioned having counsel present for the DNA swab, saying there’s no required notice of a search warrant. She also questioned whether he could advise his client not to follow a court order.

Bickerton took everything under advisement and gave counsel for both sides 45 days to respond regarding the DNA question. The question over the search warrant at the property will be determined based on the written motion and response.

Morrison has remained in custody since Dec. 20, 2023 when Liverpool Township police discovered Tiffany’s remains after being notified about a possible homicide.

A status hearing remains set for 9 a.m. Aug. 30, with a jury trial set for Sept. 17.