A judge granted a two-month delay in Brittany Navarra's murder trial Monday.
The decision was a lot easier for Krista Pike's family to swallow after Navarra's co-defendant, Dustin Gran, was found sane last week and guilty of murder. Gran's trial is actually one of the reasons Navarra's attorney said he needed more time to get ready.
Navarra's fate has been tied to Gran's for years now. As teens, prosecutors say the two plotted to kill Krista Pike. Navarra's boyfriend had dumped her months earlier to date Krista. Gran was the actual killer and his trial wrapped up last week.
"We are looking at getting closure and we've got partial closure, so if it's going to take another couple months, I think our family will be able to handle that in the sense that we''l get full closure," said Russel Pike.
Krista's father's comments came just after a judge postponed Navarra's trial two months -- from May to July.
"We need to just remember to be patient and allow everyone to be fully prepared so there are no further setbacks," Pike said.
Navarra's defense attorney, Steve Geringer, asked for the delay. In fact, he asked to postpone the trial to August, and said he'd withdraw from the case if he didn't get his way.
ABC30 legal analyst Tony Capozzi says Geringer's move put the judge in a box.
"It's very difficult for the judge," Capozzi said. "He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't."
Prosecutors argued Geringer wanted the delay because he scheduled a vacation for May. But Geringer said Navarra's fate is again tied to Gran's, and her case changed significantly during the six weeks Gran was on trial.
"New evidence may have come out," said Capozzi. "New statements from that defendant may have come out that contradict what he said in the past."
There are a few items Navarra now knows she'll have to deal with:
Jurors in the first trial saw text messages purportedly from Navarra telling Gran to kill Krista.
They also heard from another teen who said she was there when the plan was hatched. Veronica Blumberg said Navarra was asleep for at least part of that discussion she had with Gran.
