Trial delayed to 2010 for former Va. Tech grad student accused of beheading fellow student
By APWednesday, September 30, 2009
Trial delayed until 2010 in Va. Tech beheading
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. — The murder trial of a former Virginia Tech doctoral student accused of beheading a fellow student has been postponed until 2010.
The 26-year-old defendant, Haiyang Zhu (hy-yuhng-joo), was scheduled to stand trial in November in Montgomery County Circuit Court. At a hearing Tuesday, attorney Stephanie Cox requested the continuance to prepare for her client’s defense.
Zhu’s trial was set for Feb. 1.
Zhu is charged with slaying fellow Chinese student Xin Yang (shin yuhng) in January 2009. The 22-year-old woman was beheaded in her dormitory cafe where she met Zhu for coffee Jan. 21.
The killing was the first at the Blacksburg school since a deadly mass shooting there in 2007.
Information from: The Roanoke Times, www.roanoketimes.com
