NORWICH – The second murder trial of Peter J. Wlasiuk has been postponed until September.

Broome County Judge Martin E. Smith moved the date for jury selection from May 21 to Sept. 4 in order to avoid conflicts with a separate Tioga County murder trial.

Wlasuik, 38, was found guilty of 2nd degree murder and given the maximum sentence of 25 years to life in 2002 for allegedly murdering his wife Patricia and then staging a vehicle accident at Guilford Lake to cover it up, telling police his wife was attempting to avoid a deer. Wlasiuk later changed his story to police, saying his wife intentionally drove into the lake.

The New York Supreme Court of Appeals declared Wlasiuk’s first trial unfair last August, citing a number of procedural shortcomings. The appellate court was also critical of the expert testimony given at the trial.