Attorney seeks trial delay for man accused of killing 3

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - The attorney for a Fort Wayne man accused of killing three people, including a pregnant woman, said Friday he needs more time to prepare for trial now that prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against his client.

Marcus Dansby, 20, was formally notified during Friday's hearing in Allen Superior Court that prosecutors would seek the death penalty if he's convicted in the September killings.

Dansby's trial was scheduled for later this month, but his attorney, Nikos Nakos, sought a delay because the death penalty filing makes the case much more complicated, The Journal Gazette reported (http://bit.ly/2i1Sftu ).

Superior Court Judge Fran Gull said the request would be taken up at a pretrial hearing next Wednesday. Prosecutors said they had no objections to delaying the trial.

Dansby is charged with killing Consuela Arrington, 37; Traeven Harris, 18; and Dajahiona Arrington, 18. Prosecutors have filed four murder charges because Arrington, Danby's former girlfriend, was 8 ˆ½ months pregnant.

Dansby maintains his innocence in the slayings and has refused to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of life without parole, Nakos said.

He described his client as one of the most polite people he's ever met and said Dansby's teachers and others who knew him can't believe he's charged in the killings.

"He has no record," Nakos said. "When my client maintains his innocence and professes it to me, I have to believe him."

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Information from: The Journal Gazette, http://www.journalgazette.net