Bench trial scheduled for April 4 for man accused in a conspiracy to commit homicide

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been corrected to say a charge was dropped.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Court officials canceled Monday’s trial for Mehrdad Fotoohighiam in Boone County and rescheduled it as a bench trial on April 4.

Judge Steven Ohmer will preside over the case that has taken two years to get to trial.

A hearing is scheduled for April 1 with Judge Ohmer.

Fotoohighiam is charged with first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree assault, tampering with a witness and attempting to tamper with a witness.

Fotoohighiam was initially accused of plotting to kill a judge while incarcerated in the county jail, to intimidate witnesses and hire inmates to kidnap and murder his ex-wife, Hediah Fotoohighiam. The charge of conspiring to kill the judge was dropped last month.