A man accused of a murder in the west end of St. John’s last year has re-hired the lawyer he recently fired.

27-year-old Sheldon Hibbs is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 68-year-old Michael King.

The victim’s body was found on a trail between Holbrook Avenue and Waterford Valley High school on May 30, 2021.

Legal Aid lawyer Jason Edwards was set to represent Hibbs at the preliminary inquiry later this month. But Hibbs recently fired Edwards and asked for a new lawyer on the government dime. That was expected to cause delays to give new counsel time to get up to speed.

Then this week, in a surprise move, Hibbs said he wanted Edwards back, though his reasons are protected by solicitor-client privilege.

But it will still delay Hibbs’ case, because Edwards had since taken on new clients with conflicting court dates.

The preliminary inquiry, which was set for this month, is now scheduled for late January.

Hibbs, meanwhile, remains in custody at His Majesty’s Penitentiary.