Sumner County murder suspect Spencer Weikal will have until Jan. 19 to retain legal counsel or the court will appoint an attorney for him, a judge said Thursday.
Weikal made a brief court appearance where his family informed Judge R. Scott McQuin they were continuing with efforts to hire their own defense attorney. The family hopes to hire a high-profile attorney from Missouri.
That attorney would not be available to make court appearances until mid-January. Prosecutors said they did not object to a delay until the attorney was available.
McQuin will appoint an attorney for Weikal should he not be able to afford his own.
Weikal, 23, Wellington, was arrested late last month following an investigation into the death of two-year-old Larrissa Foster, the daughter of Weikal’s girlfriend.
Weikal will need representation before the legal proceedings can continue.
His charges include first-degree murder and child abuse. He is being held on $250,000 bond.
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