ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- A federal judge is again delaying the trial of a convicted killer accused of slaying a Hendersonville couple as they hiked in the North Carolina mountains in 2007.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reported Saturday that attorneys for 65-year-old Gary Michael Hilton said they need more time for trial preparation. Prosecutors said they plan to seek the death penalty.
U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger set Feb. 27 for the next court appearance.
Court filings say Hilton and prosecutors have discussed a plea bargain in the kidnapping and killing of John and Irene Bryant, who were both in their 80s. The couple was hiking in the Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County.
Hilton has a Florida death sentence and life in prison in Georgia for murdering hikers in those states.
