WOODLAND — The attorneys for a Davis teen accused of murder want their client’s trial moved from April to June, but prosecutors say that won’t happen without a fight.
“I don’t believe there is good cause for a continuance, and the people are opposed to it,” Yolo County Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Cabral said during a brief court hearing Friday for Daniel Marsh, whose lawyers filed a motion saying they need more time to conduct their investigation and prepare a defense.
Marsh, 16, is charged with the fatal stabbings of Oliver “Chip” Northup, 87, and his wife Claudia Maupin, 76, who were killed on April 14, 2013, in their Cowell Boulevard residence.
At issue is an expert witness, who “due to the nature of the review … will not be able to complete his investigation prior to the currently scheduled trial,” Deputy Public Defender Ron Johnson wrote in a declaration. He indicated he would likely be prepared for a June trial date.
Marsh’s trial is scheduled to begin on April 14, which also happens to be the one-year anniversary of the slayings.
Johnson did not specify the type of expert he has consulted, but told Yolo Superior Court Judge David Reed he would be willing to file a supplemental declaration under seal to bolster his request for more preparation time.
Cabral, meanwhile, questioned the timing of the defense’s consultation with the expert in the nine-month-old case, which already has seen several delays in the trial date since Marsh’s arrest last June.
“My concern is I see a lack of diligence here,” Cabral said.
Reed ordered Johnson to file the supplemental declaration and set another hearing for 8:30 a.m. Thursday for a ruling on the defense motion.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene