More than six years after the initial crime, the amount of time Tyler Hadley will serve for killing his parents has yet to be determined.
An appeals court last year reversed the double life sentences Hadley is serving, saying the court did not consider the correct alternative to a life sentence when the now 23-year-old was initially sentenced in 2014.
In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court barred mandatory life sentences for juvenile killers.
Hadley was 17 in 2011 when he was first arrested and charged in his parents deaths.
He had bludgeoned Blake and Mary Jo Hadley with a hammer, buried their bodies under a mountain of debris, and threw a party.
Wednesday, Public Defender Diamond Litty said her side plans to call a number of experts, including those who study juvenile brain development.
"Everything that has gone on and been developed since last sentencing hearing is that this is an ever-evolving area of the law, science etc.," said Litty.
This is the first time judge Gary Sweet is on the bench for this case.
Prosecutors say that won’t be an issue, but they do want the case to move forward.
“We want to be able to determine which one of these expert witnesses will produce reports, we need to know which ones will not produce reports. Once we learn that from the defense, we’ll know how to proceed," said Assistant State Attorney Bernie Romero.
But the question of when to proceed was not answered as no deadline was established for when witness lists would be submitted, and both sides would be ready for a re-sentencing hearing.
Litty said she needed another six to eight months.
