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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Over the objections of prosecutors, a defense attorney is seeking to delay the trial of a Wyoming man in the slaying of a couple on Montana's Crow Indian Reservation.
Jesus Deniz Mendoza of Worland is scheduled to face trial January 9 in federal courts.
Mendoza is accused of killing Jason and Tana Shane and wounding their daughter in July 2015. The family had stopped to help Mendoza on a roadside near Pryor.
He's charged with two counts of first degree murder, attempted murder and other counts.
Federal Defender David Merchant II says experts needed for testimony are not available on January 9.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek objected to further delay. She says the case has been pending 16 months and that's been difficult for the victims' families.
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