Trial in Wayland Murder Delayed Until Early Next Year

The trial for the Wayland man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in July 2011 will not begin before early 2013.

Nathaniel Fujita’s trial on on July 3, 2011, was scheduled to begin on Oct. 29, 2012, but defense attorney William Sullivan asked the court to delay that start until Jan. 22, 2013, to allow him more time to build his client’s defense.

Sullivan said during a status hearing Aug. 7 at in Woburn that he needed more time to assess the evidence presented to him as part of the prosecution’s case.

“It’s volume rather than specifically what we have,” Sullivan said after the hearing. He said is working with everything from computers and phone records to forensic details.

Fujita did travel to the court for the Aug. 7 hearing, but asked to not be present in the courtroom, a request the judge granted as Fujita's presence was not necessary for the day's discussions.

Sullivan said after the hearing that Fujita didn’t need to be in court, but that he is “well informed of what’s going on.”

Sullivan must still file official paperwork, but Prosecutor Lisa McGovern and the judge agreed to Sullivan’s request to move the trial start date to Jan. 22, 2013. Another status conference is scheduled for Sept. 6, with a pre-trial conference to be scheduled at that time.