The defendant in the murder case of Kathryn Steinle, who was fatally shot two years ago on Pier 14, made an appearance in court Friday, and as the Mercury News reports, his attorneys asserted his right to a speedy trial despite some initial delays. Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez is due back in court this Friday, but a couple of factors may be slowing the legal process for the time being. First, per the Examiner, Assistant District Attorney Diana Garcia told the court that she has a conflicting trial and is hoping for a postponement in this case. Secondly, the defense is hoping to get a federal agent to serve as a witness, and the government is insisting on further documentation to justify the testimony.

Bureau of Land Management agent John Woychowski is wanted as a witness for the defense because it was his gun, stolen out of his vehicle in San Francisco, that Lopez-Sanchez said he found and used in the shooting, which the defense is arguing was accidental. The Department of the Interior is seeking further justification in writing for why Woychowski's testimony is relevant in the case, as ABC 7 reports, citing rules about how federal agents can be subpoenaed in state courts.

“It’s such a critical part of the narrative,” says defense attorney Matt Gonzalez, speaking to the Examiner. He is hoping to get Woychowski "on the stand cold," he says, and he's also been seeking the service reacord for the gun, a .40 caliber SIG Sauer P329 that reportedly has a hair trigger, which is a key part of the defense's argument for an accidental shooting.

Woychowski's name was made public by KQED, and they now report that prosecutors are seeking to seal the rest of their witness list in order to prevent media-influenced bias in potential jurors.

As discussed earlier, multiple times, the legal proceedings of this case are going to garner national attention because of the immigration issue, and the fact that then Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi freed Lopez-Sanchez, who had a history of deportations and drug convictions, following the dismissal of a drug case against him, without informing ICE.

Discussions of the scheduling of the trial will resume Friday, but it's not looking like the actual trial is going to commence any time soon.

Previously: Trial Of Man Accused Of Killing Kate Steinle Begins Friday