CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — Harrison Chief Judge Christopher J. McCarthy found good cause to postpone a homicide trial after hearing the state represent that the autopsy has been delayed due to the "voluminous" number of injuries suffered by the deceased.

Harrison Prosecutor Rachel Romano said she was told about the injuries to Selestine Kunkel, as well as a backlog of cases, by a staff member of the West Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

The autopsy and report might be complete by around Nov. 10, when the trial of Kunkel's son, George Alexander Hoffman, had been set to start.

The attorneys and the court agreed on a new start date of March 23 for the trial, with a final pretrial conference in late February and a status conference in mid-December to check on the progress o

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