The trial for , who is charged with murder in connection with a traffic crash that killed resident Mara Steves in 2011, was scheduled to begin today but was continued to Oct. 19, the district attorney's office reported.
Shortly after the announcement was made Tuesday Deputy District Attorney Troy Pino said it is "not unusual for a murder case to get continued. The defense was not ready and needed more time for investigation."
This is not the first time the since Hall was arrested on May 24, 2011.
He pleaded not guilty on March 6 and had a pretrial on March 23. After months of postponments and a , a jury trial for Hall was set for today.
Hall, 27, of Placentia, was arrested in connection with the death of community activist Mara Feb. 13 while trying to rescue a dog that had been running in traffic.
Orange County Sheriff's Department deputies arrested Hall in a phone booth at a Walgreens in Yorba Linda. He has been in jail ever since.
The good Samaritan's death made national news and earned a nod from which presented her husband, John, daughter Hannah and son Jonathan with a posthumous certificate in her name called The Compassionate Action Award.
Hall, who had two prior convictions for driving under the influence, has been charged with murder in the drug-induced crash, the Orange County District Attorney's office said. (After his second conviction, authorities warned Hall he could face a murder rap if he killed someone while driving under the influence.)
He was also charged with one felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury. If convicted, Hall faces a maximum 21 years to life in state prison.
On the , according to authorities, Hall had a virtual pharmacy of drugs coursing through his veins. Driving north on Moulton Parkway in a Ford sport utility vehicle, he allegedly sailed through a red light at Nueva Vista Drive and rammed a Toyota SUV passing legally through the intersection.
Since her death, , and have been erected in her honor planted by local firefighters in front of the neighborhood entrance at Nueva Vista and Moulton Parkway where the accident happened.
Mara Steves is survived by her
