Sentencing of an Ellicott City man convicted of killing his father during a domestic dispute in their home in 2005 has been postponed.
The Howard County state attorney's office requested rescheduling of the sentencing to give it time to conduct a psychological review of Jason Chen, according to a document submitted in county Circuit Court.
The hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed until May 31.
Assistant State's Attorney David A. Lank said Chen's lawyer, Joseph Murtha, had a psychological evaluation conducted for the sentencing hearing. But Lank said that the state's attorney's office will need to conduct similar tests.
A grand jury indicted Chen on first-degree murder charges. Chen, 21, waived his right to a jury trial in September last year and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, a charge that carries a maximum of 30 years in prison.
Chen stabbed his father, Yun Sen Chen, 14 times with a steak knife during an argument in their townhouse in the 4900 block of Webbed Foot Way in December 2005, according to charging documents.
tyrone.richardson@baltsun.com