The man accused of killing a man in a Marmet apartment three years ago made a last-ditch effort Wednesday to delay his trial, which is set to begin next week.
Kanawha Circuit Judge Joanna Tabit refused motions made by Miguel Quinones to have her step down from the case and to appoint him a different lawyer.
Instead, Tabit said the trial will begin with jury selection at 9 a.m. Monday.
"This case has dust on it," the judge told Quinones on Wednesday, adding she has warned him multiple times that the case would not be delayed much more.
The motion asking for the judge to be taken off the case doesn't have to be sent to the Supreme Court for review, Tabit said, because Quinones filed it so close to his trial date.
Quinones has gone through more than 10 appointed defense attorneys since the charges were filed against him. Some of the lawyers have asked to be taken off the case after Quinones filed or threatened to file ethics complaints against them, while others have had conflicts and had to resign.
Beckley attorneys Robert Dunlap and Amy Osgood were appointed in September. At the time, the judge told Quinones then that they would be the last lawyers she appoints him.
After refusing his motion Wednesday, a frustrated Tabit told Quinones he could either stick with Dunlap and Osgood or represent himself at trial.
"Here we are again on the eve of trial and you file the same request that you want new lawyers," Tabit said. "It is not the state of West Virginia's obligation to keep paying for lawyers for you ad nauseum."
After refusing to answer, Quinones told the judge he has the right to counsel.
The judge agreed and told Dunlap, who was sitting beside Quinones on Wednesday, to represent him during trial.
Tabit also told Quinones that he has the right to appeal any of her rulings to the state Supreme Court if a jury convicts him.
Quinones' alleged victim, Kareem Hunter, was reported missing Sept. 23, 2013. His body was found almost two months later in a shallow grave in Raleigh County.
Two other people have already been sent to prison for their roles in Hunter's killing. Kelsey Legg was sentenced to six to eight years in prison for helping conceal a dead body and being an accessory after the fact to murder. Deveron Patterson was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to murder.
Both Patterson and Legg agreed to testify against Quinones at trial as part of the deals they made with prosecutors.
Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.