GREENSBURG, Pa., April 5 (UPI) -- A judge in western Pennsylvania has delayed the trial of a man charged with imprisoning, torturing and killing a mentally challenged woman.
Melvin Knight, 22, who could face the death penalty if he is convicted, is one of six people charged with the murder of Jennifer Daugherty, 30. He is scheduled to be the second to be tried.
At the request of the defense, Westmoreland County Judge Rita Hathaway rescheduled the trial from April 16 to August, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. Defense lawyers said at a hearing Wednesday they need more time to gather mitigating evidence for the penalty phase.
Prosecutors say Daugherty was tortured during three days in captivity before she was stabbed to death in 2010. Her body was found under a truck at a middle school in Greensburg.
Angela Marinucci, 19, was convicted last year and given a life sentence. Ricky Smyrnes, 26, Amber Meidinger, 22, Robert Masters, 38, and Peggy Miller, 28, are awaiting trial.
