Trial in restaurant owner's slaying delayed

A judge on Friday delayed a murder trial scheduled to start April 8 for a Modesto man accused of bludgeoning his boss to death with a meat cleaver last year.

Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Nancy Ashley postponed the trial's start because defendant Zhi Jian Mei has a new defense attorney, Mark Sullivan, who needs time to get up to speed on the case.

Mei, 30, is accused of killing Wing Ming Chan, 47, of Modesto. Chan's death occurred sometime after 9 p.m. May 4, 2011, at his restaurant, China Gourmet, in the Century Center shopping plaza on Oakdale Road in Modesto.

Mei has been charged with murder and robbery, along with enhancements on suspicion of using a deadly weapon while committing the crimes.

The trial is expected to last two to three weeks. The defendant will return to court Feb. 22 so the judge can reschedule his trial. Mei remains in custody at the Stanislaus County Jail.