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Trial scheduled this week in death of Olney woman –

by Terri Hogan

Senior Staff Writer

A year after Olney resident Laura Wallen was reported missing and later found dead in a shallow grave, her boyfriend and the man believed to be the father of her unborn child is scheduled to go on trial for her death.

The trial of Tyler Tessier, 32, of Damascus, who is charged with first-degree murder, was scheduled to begin on Sept. 4 and is expected to last for 10 days.

Wallen, 31, of Rolling Meadow Way in Olney, was a popular teacher at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia.

She was four months pregnant when she was reported missing by her family on Sept. 5 of last year.

Her family became concerned when they had not heard from her and she did not report for the first day of school.

Wallen and Tessier were last seen together on surveillance video on Sept. 2, 2017, at the Olney Safeway, Montgomery County Police reported.

Investigators believe she was killed the following day.

Police say her body was found in a shallow grave in Damascus. Autopsy results showed that she had been shot in the back of the head.

On Sept. 13, 2017, Tessier was taken into custody and charged with her death.

At the indictment, State’s Attorney John McCarthy said there would be no charges in the death of the unborn child, based on medical findings and Maryland law.

Tessier is also charged with altering evidence and giving a false statement to a police officer.

The Greater Olney News was unable to reach members of Wallen’s family for comment.

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