WWII veteran Delbert Belton murder trial pushed back

The next time the two teens facing murder charges in the death of a World War II veteran see the inside of a courtroom together might not be until March, a Spokane County judge ruled Friday.

Kenan Adams-Kinard and Demetruis Glenn, both 16, have pleaded not guilty to murder charges entered after 88-year-old Delbert Belton died of injuries sustained in a beating outside the Eagles lodge in north Spokane in August. Adams-Kinard’s and Glenn’s fingerprints were found on Belton’s vehicle, according to court documents, and Adams-Kinard contends Belton stiffed the two on a deal for crack cocaine, which sparked the violence.

Attorney Derek Reid asked Spokane County Superior Court Judge Annette Plese for a continuance on behalf of Adams-Kinard on Friday morning. Christian Phelps, who is representing Glenn, said he’d prefer the trial take place as scheduled in two weeks but did not raise an objection to Reid’s request.

Prosecutors prefer the defendants, led handcuffed into the courtroom by security personnel Friday, be tried together. Phelps hinted to Plese on Friday that he may file a motion to separate the cases.

Plese granted the continuance, which pushes the trial date tentatively to mid-March. The teenagers face life imprisonment if convicted.