Wlasiuk trial postponed until May

NORWICH – Following an emergency conference called by the court Tuesday, the murder retrial case of Peter M. Wlasiuk set to begin Monday March 3, has been moved to the first week in May.

The motion to postpone the case came at the request of defense attorney Randel Scharf of Cooperstown.

Broome County Judge Martin Smith’s decision to adjourn the trial was made in a closed meeting and no information was provided as to why the motion had been approved, other than to say it was at the request of the defense.



District Attorney Joseph McBride said he could not comment on the case except to say it had been “postponed at the request of the defense.” The judge told attorneys at a pre-trial hearing in the spring not to discuss the case with the media after the defense raised concerns of public bias.

Scharf could not be reached for comment.

This is the fourth time the court has scheduled jury selection in the Wlasiuk case. Previous dates were changed due to the defense asking for additional time, and due to the court’s decision to dismiss Wlasiuk’s original indictment, which was not part of his trial appeal.

Discuss this story with other members on the Forum


There's more to this story! You're only seeing 46% of the story. Subscribe now to get immediate access to the rest of the story as well as our whole online offering.

Today's Other Stories



Reader Response

5 comments on this story

norwichreader
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:53 am
Think this is the standard maneuver to delay the trial so people forget and are more lenient? Perhaps we should change the law so instead of it just saying the accused has a right to a speedy trial, so does the state.
jonseygirl
February 28th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Along with his buying time in the county jail, he is also wasting the time and money of the taxpayers. Jury selection has been started more than once, this is just a waste, his wife did not have the postponement of death, why should he.
alex321
February 27th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
I love the way this paper plays right into McBrides pocket. If you would like the real story, read the Daily Star. It states that the defense attorney is having trouble obtaining evidence from the DA's office. Shouldn't all evidence pertaining to the case be in the same case file? Where can it be? Is someone hiding it? or has it found the shredder? Never to be seen again.
tyler
February 27th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Justice can be a costly, complicated and tedious affair. Already once recanted at great expense, one would hope that the court and the attorney's would be very meticulous in their preparations.
FEC
February 27th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Wlasiuk wants to ride out his time in a county jail where he is the big dog! This is a ploy by Wlasiuk and his defense attorney, Randel Scharf. I hope he is sentenced to more than time his served. If he goes back to a state prison he will have to deal with the bigger dogs and he will have to tuck his tail like a little pup. A life gone is a life remembered but it's gone forever. Please remember the victim in this case.
Please log in to leave a comment.
© 2008 Snyder Communications/The Evening Sun
29 Lackawanna Avenue, Norwich, NY 13815 - (607) 334-3276