MEDFORD, Ore. — The man accused of killing former actor and Disney Mouseketeer, Dennis Day, is going to trial.
Daniel Burda is charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, abuse of a corpse, and identity theft.
He pleaded not guilty to the crimes in July. Then in October, a judge found him unfit to proceed.
Last month, court records show Burda was evaluated at the state hospital and found able to “aid and assist” in his own defense.
According to a police affidavit obtained by The Oregonian, Burda told police last July he shoved then 75-year-old Dennis Day to the ground in his Phoenix home and hid the body under a massive pile of clothes.
Months later, state police say they found Day’s body at the home after he had been missing for over eight months.
Monday in court, Burda told the judge he wanted to move forward with a trial date as soon as possible because he wants to “get this thing done.”
Circuit Court Judge Lorenzo Mejia advised him that he should listen to his attorney and that an earlier trial date may not be his best option.
“I don’t think she’s just trying to kick the can down the road for the purpose of kicking the can down the road,” said Jackson County Circuit Court Judge, Lorenzo Mejia. “I think she’s trying to honor your request. But also she just doesn’t want to go to trial and not really be ready.”
Prosecutors tell NBC5 News they would also prefer a later trial date since it is a “complex case.”
Burda is scheduled to be back in court next month.
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