photo by: Hearing screenshot/Douglas County District Court

Douglas County District Court Judge James McCabria speaks to the prosecutors and defense counsel for Rontarus Washington Jr. during a hearing on March 19, 2021. This screenshot was obtained by the Journal-World with permission provided by the court.

A decision on whether two attorneys representing Rontarus Washington Jr. will be allowed to withdraw from the long-running murder case has been delayed for almost a week.

After meeting in private with Washington’s attorneys — Adam Hall and Angela Keck — and the prosecutors in the case on Friday, Judge James McCabria said he would continue to take the request for withdrawal under advisement and would consider making a ruling next week. He scheduled the next hearing in the case for March 25.

Washington, 24, is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated burglary in connection with the November 2014 death of his neighbor, 19-year-old Justina Altamirano Mosso. Washington’s attorneys, Hall and Keck, have suggested Altamirano Mosso’s estranged husband, Felipe Cantu Ruiz, as a possible alternative suspect. The jury hung after Washington’s four-week trial in September 2019, and following delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, the retrial is scheduled to begin Sept. 27.

On Tuesday, Hall and Keck filed motions to withdraw from the case. During a hearing on Wednesday, McCabria met in private with the counsel and Washington for almost two hours. After the discussion, McCabria said he planned to rule on the request on Friday. However, a ruling was not issued on Friday.

Noting the high interest from the public in the case, McCabria said during the hearing on Friday that he thought the meetings in private were justified because the court had been discussing matters of attorney-client privilege with the defense counsel. He also said he believed the length of time being taken on the matter was appropriate.

“It’s the nature and length of the case that leads the court to believe the time that we have taken has been justified,” McCabria said. “I appreciate that counsel are willing to address matters in a careful and thoughtful way,” he added.