Salim Newton is accused of shooting to death a 22-year-old mother in Phillipsburg.
There will be no testimony this month on a deadly 2013 Phillipsburg shooting.
The trial of Salim Newton, which began late last month, has been adjourned after the 30-year-old defendant changed attorneys, according to court staff.
Newton faces 30 years to life imprisonment if convicted of the murder charge. He is also charged with burglary, criminal contempt and weapons counts.
He is accused of shooting to death 22-year-old Melissa Williams, the mother of his child, three years ago in her Phillipsburg home. Newton was arrested about a month later in Virginia.
The case: Everything to this point
The trial started with the jury selection process on Oct. 24. Proceedings were halted last week when the court was closed two days for Election Day and Veterans Day. On Monday, Judge H. Matthew Curry spent much of the morning in his chambers, periodically summoning the attorneys to meet with him in private.
Warren County Assistant Prosecutor Victor Jusino is leading the case against Newton, who had been represented by the public defender's office. Court staff said Newton is now represented by Denville, N.J.-based attorney Michael Priarone.
Priarone recently mounted defenses for two major Warren County court cases. Last fall, he got a jury to acquit 26-year-old Andy Torres of first-degree murder, though Torres was still convicted of felony murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison. More recently, a jury found Priarone's client Donald Jessamine not guilty of all charges stemming from a fatal 2012 boating accident on the Delaware River.
A status conference in Newton's case is planned for Dec. 9.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
