The criminal trial for a Hermitage man accused of shooting his wife will not begin Tuesday as originally planned.

Van Todd Michael, 63, was scheduled for a 9 a.m. trial in Mercer County Common Pleas Court before Judge Tedd C. Nesbit. However, court records updated on Monday show the trial has been canceled following a series of late filings by the defense.

Defense attorney Stanley Tyrone Booker filed several requests on Jan. 8, just days before the trial was set to start. They included a request for a competency evaluation and a motion to continue, or delay, the trial. Booker also asked Judge Nesbit to step down from the case and requested that an outside judge replace the entire Mercer County bench.

On Monday, the day before the scheduled trial, Booker filed a motion to withdraw as Michael’s lawyer.

The charges stem from an incident on Jan. 24, 2025, at a home on Cohassett Drive. According to a police affidavit, Hermitage officers arrived at the residence after a report that a husband had shot his wife. After officers ordered Michael to come outside, he appeared on the front porch wearing only underwear and was covered in blood.

Police say Michael tried to go back inside against their commands and had to be physically restrained. Inside the home, officers found his wife in a bed with several gunshot wounds to her torso, legs, neck, and hand. When asked what happened, she told officers she had asked for a divorce.

According to court documents, Michael told investigators that the couple had been drinking vodka and discussing a divorce that evening. He stated that when his wife began to berate him, he went to get his gun. He allegedly admitted to shooting her five or six times before throwing the handgun on the floor.

Michael faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault with extreme indifference, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has been held at the Mercer County Prison since his arrest, with bail currently set at $1 million.

District Attorney Peter Acker filed a response to the defense's pretrial motions on Friday. Court records have not yet listed the next hearing date in the case.