New defense lawyer delays Georgia death penalty trial

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) - There will be a delay in a death penalty trial for a man accused of raping and killing his stepdaughter.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported a defense attorney representing Dafareya Hunter told a Cobb County judge Monday that she could no longer represent him because of a family illness.

Jerilyn Bell with the Georgia Public Defender Council told the judge she didn’t know when a new attorney will be assigned. The new attorney will have to be given time to study the case before the trial can begin.

Police found the teen’s body in a burned home in Marietta on July 23, 2016.

Hunter was arrested a month later in Broward County, Florida.

Superior Judge S. Lark Ingram wants a new trial date before the end of the year.

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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com