BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A federal judge has agreed to delay the trial of a Wyoming man charged with killing a couple on the Crow Indian Reservation in July 2015.
The Billings Gazette reports (bit.ly/2iDkbmh) U.S. District Judge Susan Watters issued an order Tuesday vacating the Jan. 9 trial date for 19-year-old Jesus Deniz Mendoza of Worland. Defense attorneys said experts would not be available to testify at that time.
Watters set a scheduling conference for Thursday to determine a new trial date.
Mendoza is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Jason and Tana Shane and with attempted murder for wounds suffered by their daughter. The Shanes had stopped to help Mendoza on a road near Pryor.
Mendoza’s attorneys have said they will rely on an insanity defense.
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Information from: The Billings Gazette, https://www.billingsgazette.com
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