SNOW HILL -- The trial of a man charged with killing Christine Sheddy was postponed until June, instead of starting as scheduled Tuesday.A motion filed by the Worcester County State's Attorney's Office said analysis of DNA evidence was not available to prosecutors or the defense 30 days prior to the trial date, as is required.
"Based on the time requirements, they have 30 days with which to request their own expert to look at it," said State's Attorney Beau Oglesby. "This is the most serious and important of cases. We want to make sure it is complete, fair and thorough."
Judge Thomas C. Groton III granted the motion. He cited several reasons to push the trial date to June, noting that Oglesby has only been in office for five weeks.
Oglesby also told the judge that records detailing what documents and information were shared with the Public Defender's Office were "not up to standards."
Oglesby narrowly defeated longtime Worcester prosecutor Joel Todd in last fall's elections. Since taking office, he said he and his staff have done everything they can to share information with the Public Defender's Office in the case, as is required by law.
The defendant awaiting trial, Justin Michael Hadel, is charged with first-degree murder in the case.
Sheddy, a 27-year-old mother of two, went missing from her Pocomoke City-area residence in November 2007. She was considered a missing person for more than two years until police found Sheddy's remains buried in the backyard of a Snow Hill property a year ago.
Shortly after that, Hadel, whose court records show he lives in Texas, was charged with killing her and held in jail.
Hadel's trial was scheduled to take place in December, when former State's Attorney Joel Todd would have tried the case, but was moved to February when the Public Defender's Office said it needed more time to prepare.
Due to the serious nature of the case and the potential of a five-day trial, Groton said the most suitable dates for the trial would be June 13-17.
