A lengthy capital murder trial has been postponed yet again after presiding Logan County Common Pleas Judge Mark S. O’Connor granted a defense request today for more testing and evaluation of Brittany Pilkington.
Logan County Prosecutor Eric Stewart argued against delaying the March 18 start, telling the judge his team was ready.
The defense team of Kort Gatterdam, Marc Triplett and Tina McFall however believe a PET scan will help confirm experts’ belief Pilkington suffers from brain damage.
Judge O’Connor agreed, saying the delay is necessary to assess if the defendant has mental disabilities. Pilkington, 25, is accused of killing her three sons during a 13-month period starting in July 2014.
Authorities say she admitted during a recorded hours-long interview that she smothered the boys as they slept, starting with infant Niall in July 2014 followed by Gavin, 4, on April 6, 2015 and infant Noah on Aug. 18, 2015.
If convicted, she could face a sentence of death.
A status conference has been set for April 5 at which time a new trial date could be set.
Pilkington remains in the Logan County Jail where she has been incarcerated since her Aug. 18, 2015, arrest.