The trial of the Baltimore man accused of murdering Hopkins senior Linda Trinh suffered its third delay this week, after scheduling conflicts forced a postponement until Sept. 6, according to Baltimore City state's attorney spokesman Joseph Sviatko.
Donta M. Allen, 28, has pled not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary in the homicide of Trinh, who was found dead from asphyxiation in her Charles apartment in January 2005.
The Baltimore state's attorney's office requested a postponement this Tuesday -- the day the trial was last set to begin -- because prosecutor Twila Driggins is still involved in another murder trial. Allen's defense attorney Warren A. Brown issued no objections to the new date.
According to Sviatko, the four-month delay is not unusual and did not reflect the state's need for more preparation time. "As far I know, [Prosecutor Driggins] had been ready to go," he said.
Brown also commented that the postponement was unavoidable, both because of scheduling conflicts and the need for a judge with a clear docket who could focus solely on Allen's trial.
"We want to have a judge who only has this trial to deal with," he said.
Investigators in the case found traces of Allen's DNA on Trinh's body, although they have yet to release the details of the physical evidence. Allen worked in several local restaurants and frequented Trinh's social circles, once dating one of Trinh's Alpha Phi sorority sisters.
