WICHITA — A judge has delayed the trial of a Kansas online gamer allegedly involved in a deadly hoax while federal prosecutors consider an alternative to prosecution that would spare him from the criminal justice system.
The attorney for 20-year-old Shane Gaskill of Wichita has applied for pre-trial diversion, and prosecutors have asked the court to delay Tuesday’s upcoming trial so the application may be given full consideration.
U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren has postponed the trial to May 21.
Gaskill is charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, wire fraud, and making false statement during an investigation.
Prosecutors say he was playing a Call of Duty WWII video game when a dispute allegedly sparked the false call that resulted in police shooting a man who lived at Gaskill’s former Wichita home.
