By Jane Braxton Little
Bee correspondent
Neither suspect entered a plea Tuesday in the January killing of Susanville police officer Robert McElrath, 37.
Robin Glen James, 46, and Joanna McElrath, 36, the victim's estranged wife, both appeared in Lassen County Superior Court but requested their cases be continued.
Laureen Bethards, who is representing McElrath, said she had received an extensive amount of material from Lassen County District Attorney Robert M. Burns and needed time to review it.
With no objection from Burns, Judge John T. Ball continued the hearing until Dec. 19.
Burns has charged that James and McElrath, his girlfriend at the time, used a prescription narcotic to drug Robert McElrath before using his own car to drive him to a railroad trestle over the Susan River seven miles west of Susanville, where they shot him with his service weapon and returned later to dump his body off the bridge.
They face felony charges of premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder and special allegations that the murder involved lying in wait and the use of a firearm.
Burns has also charged McElrath with committing murder for financial gain.
Both defendants have been in custody without bail since their Jan. 6 arrests.
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