A Denville, NJ man accused of murdering his wife has been granted a request for a new defense attorney in his case.
A Morris County Superior Court judge ruled that the defendant had a right to a private attorney. The new attorney will replace the defendant’s old attorney, who had been retained by the public defender’s office.
The defendant had filed the request because he believed that his old attorney was not providing his case with enough attention due to the pressing needs of private clients.
The defendant’s new attorney will immediately get to work representing the murder suspect during pre-trial hearings. One pre-trial motion still in the process of being argued is for certain evidence to be excluded from the trial.
Prosecutors hope to be able to mention a pig mask that the defendant allegedly put on his wife’s face after stabbing her 84 times. The defendant’s new attorney said that the evidence should be excluded because it is “more prejudicial than probative.”
The 66-year-old defendant has been accused of murdering his estranged wife when she returned to their shared family home to pick up her belongings. If the defendant is convicted of first degree felony murder, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
Jury selection in the case has been scheduled for June 23. The trial is expected to begin during the first week of July.
To learn more about this case, see the NJ.com article entitled “Denville Man Accused of Stabbing Wife to Death Gets New Attorney.“
