Trial on hold in Coast Guard killings on Kodiak - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Trial on hold in Coast Guard killings on Kodiak

KODIAK, Alaska — The trial of a man accused of killing two people at the Coast Guard station on Kodiak Island has been postponed.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror says James Wells now is scheduled to go on trial in federal court in February 2014.

Wells is accused of murdering Coast Guardsmen Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Petty Officer Richard Belisle. A hearing was held Wednesday in which a judge postponed the trial. Wells was to go on trial next month.

Federal prosecutors say a postponement allows both sides more time to prepare for what is expected to be a complex trial. The investigation generated hundreds of interviews, 20 search warrants, and dozens of grand jury subpoenas for information. Federal public defender Rich Curtner agreed with the delay.