A new defense attorney for the man convicted in the 2014 death of a Southern Illinois University Carbondale student has won a delay in his sentencing as he aims to have the conviction thrown out.
A judge on Monday pushed back sentencing for 24-year-old Gaege Bethune of Eldorado, until Sept. 17. He had been scheduled for sentencing Wednesday after a jury convicted him in June of first-degree murder for 19-year-old Pravin Varughese's death.
Defense attorney Steven Greenberg of Chicago replaced Bethune's previous lawyer last week.
Prosecutors maintained the intoxicated men fought while driving around Carbondale looking for cocaine in February 2014, with Bethune causing head injuries that left Varughese disoriented and led to his hypothermia death. Greenberg argues that no evidence was presented to prove that claim.
