An arraignment hearing for two former Allan Hancock College basketball players charged with murder and other crimes was postponed Monday after a new defense attorney was appointed to represent one of the men.
The arraignment hearing for Lavell White and Ali Mohammed was rescheduled for Nov. 9 in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria.
The men are charged with the fatal shooting of Santa Maria resident Terence Richardson, 23, in a parked car near the intersection of Bradley Road and Jones Street late at night Dec. 30, 2014.
The defendants, then 22 and 19 years old, were arrested Jan. 10.
White is now represented by attorney Michael Scott under an assignment through the North County Conflict Defense Team, which provides defendants’ legal representation when the Public Defender’s Office has a conflict.
Scott has recently joined the case because White’s previous attorney, Addison Steele, has given up his private practice since being hired by the Santa Barbara County Public Defender’s Office.
Mohammed is represented by Deputy Public Defender Lori Pedego.
Deputy District Attorney Tim Covello is prosecuting the case.
Following a preliminary hearing, a judge in June ordered both men to stand trial on several charges, including murder, armed robbery and residential burglary.
White, a 6-foot-6 sophomore guard, was a leading scorer for the Bulldogs. He transferred to Hancock over the summer from Polk State College in Winter Haven, Fla. He attended Rainier Beach High School in Seattle.
Mohammed, a 6-foot-6 freshman from Dorsey High School in Los Angeles, played power forward for the Bulldogs.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.