Chapel Hill Teen's Murder Trial Rescheduled for Third Time

Hillsborough, N.C. — A new trial date has been set for a Chapel Hill teenager charged with fatally shooting his parents nearly two years ago.

Adam Sapikowski's trial was originally scheduled to start in October but was delayed until January while psychiatrists were evaluating him. Scheduling conflicts on the side of the defense forced the latest delay.

The new trial date is set for Sept. 24, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said Friday.

Sapikowski was 16 years old when police found the bodies of his parents, James Sapikowski, 52, and Allison Sapikowski, 49, in May 2005. They had been wrapped in blankets behind a barricaded door in their home. Police believe their bodies had been there for weeks.

Attorneys for Sapikowski have suggested that the shootings were provoked.

Sapikowski has undergone several psychological evaluations, and at one point was under a suicide watch at Raleigh's Central Prison after he told jail officials he was afraid he would end up doing something "crazy" to himself.

A hospital psychiatrist said Sapikowski suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder and has had flashbacks of killing his parents.