First, murder suspect Brian Rooney wanted to fire his attorney. Then he tried to have the judge removed.
Now, three weeks before his trial is to begin, Rooney’s lawyer wants off the case, saying Rooney apparently is trying to represent himself.
Thirty-seven-year-old Rooney is charged with aggravated murder in the 2006 slaying of Michelle Gardner-Quinn, a University of Vermont senior from Arlington, Va.
In court papers filed this week, defense attorney David Sleigh said Rooney is apparently dissatisfied with him and that it has resulted in an “irrevocable breach of the attorney/client relationship.”
A hearing is set for Wednesday on Sleigh’s withdrawal motion. If granted, it would likely postpone Rooney’s trial, which is set for May 13 in Vermont District Court in Rutland.