For months, Cordaryl Silva has said he wants a trial to prove he didn’t kill a distant cousin outside a Derby bar in May 2012.
It looks like he’s going to get his wish.
On Thursday at Superior Court in Milford, Judge Frank Iannotti granted a speedy trial motion filed by Silva this month and set down Feb. 25 as the first day of jury selection in the case.
The judge also effected something of a makeup between Silva and the special public defender he had been trying to fire since last year.
Silva, 26, is charged with murder in connection with the May 12, 2012 shooting death of Javon Zimmerman in the parking lot outside RJ’S Cafe in Derby.
Silva was charged in Zimmerman’s death June 18, 2012.
Since being arrested, Silva had repeatedly complained that his lawyer, Lawrence Hopkins, a special public defender appointed in his case, wasn’t representing him effectively.
Silva formally asked for a new lawyer last April, but his family couldn’t pool enough money together to hire one.
Silva then filed a motion seeking a speedy trial — available to any defendant incarcerated continuously for more than eight months — but rescinded it during a court appearance last July.
In Thursday he was in court again asking for a speedy trial.
Prosecutor Charles Stango did not object to Silva’s request.
Judge Iannotti then granted Silva’s motion and asked whether anything else had to be discussed with respect to the case.
Hopkins brought up the motion Silva had filed seeking a new lawyer.
The judge then told Silva if he wanted a speedy trial, he wouldn’t be able to get a new lawyer.
“It would seem inconceivable to me that I would grant your motion for a speedy trial and then have you get a new lawyer between now and Feb. 25,” the judge said. “There’s no new lawyer that’s going to come in and try your case. Now that I’ve granted your speedy trial, I can’t grant your motion for a new attorney.”
Silva replied by saying he had filed the motion to dismiss Hopkins out of frustration with not being able to get in touch with Hopkins.
The judge asked Silva if he had any other requests now that a trial date had been set.
“Just no more games after this,” Silva said. “Everybody’s been playing games.”
He complained that Hopkins hasn’t shown him evidence in the case.
Judge Iannotti told Silva to have faith.
“Mr. Hopkins I’ve known probably 25 years, and I’m not just telling you this to tell you this, he’s an excellent lawyer,” the judge said. “Everybody knows he’s an excellent lawyer. You’re lucky to have him as your special public defender.”
The judge explained the nature of courthouse defenders.
“What he has to do sometimes is concentrate his efforts on the case that’s there at the time before he gets to the next. You’re now the next, so I’m very confident that his concentration of time and effort will be on you.”
Silva appeared to take the judge’s words to heart.
“I understand everything you said, and I believe that,” he said. “I was just basically venting. I feel like he will represent me when the time is right. I was just tired of being ignored. I don’t even want a new lawyer now.”
