WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — A judge has granted a four-month delay in the trial of a Wausau man accused of beating and strangling a woman to death in 1999.

James Emerson, 44, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of 37-year-old Rhonda Mertes.
Joggers found her partially clad body Dec. 4, 1999, in an industrial area of Wausau near the Wisconsin River.

Emerson was arrested in May 2007 after tests found his DNA on Mertes' body. Police said both had been at the same bar that night. Emerson has denied involvement in the death.

A trial was scheduled Sept. 2, but Marathon County Circuit Judge Greg Grau granted a defense motion for a four-month delay Thursday. A hearing is set Sept. 3 on pretrial motions, including Emerson's request for a change of venue.

The judge also said prosecutors may use two sexual assault incidents, one in 1996 and the other 2000, against Emerson.

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