The murder trail of Roger Lindbo Schleicher will continue without delay, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled last week. The 49-year-old Ellendale man will stand trial in the Steele County District Court Wednesday.

A Supreme Court order last Thursday to reevaluate Schleicher’s financial eligibility to have a public defender could have delayed the trial process. But the Court issued another order to allow the eligibility assessment to be done after the trial.

Schleicher was found guilty of killing his friend Jack Johannsen of Waseca in his residence on Dec. 29, 2000.

The trial was to continue to examine his second plea: not guilty by reason of mental deficiency. But the Supreme Court order to send back the petition case filed by the State Public Defender to withdraw the legal representation for Schleicher has obscured the proceedings of the second phase of the trial.

In the order issued last Friday, Chief Justice Kathleen A. Blatz said, &uot;The court did not intend that the trial would be interrupted for the proceedings required by the remand.&uot; And it allowed the district court to delay the remand proceedings. If Schleicher is ultimately found ineligible for the service of a public defender, he would be billed retrospectively.

In the second phase of the trial, the defense will attempt to prove Schleicher’s mental disability to be responsible for the crime.

Court documents shows that Schleicher had been committed to the Minnesota Security Hospital at St. Peter until June 2000. After being discharged, he continued treatment as an outpatient and was prescribed medications. He was hospitalized again at Austin Medical Center in December 2000 and discharged two days before committing the crime.