Attorney For Wayland Man Who Killed Ex-GF Argues For New Trial At MA High Court: Report

WAYLAND, MA — The state's highest court is weighing whether a Wayland man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend 14 years ago should get a new trial, according to the MetroWest Daily News.

Nathaniel Fujita was sentenced to life in prison for the 2011 murder of 18-year-old Lauren Astley, who was killed shortly after the two graduated from Wayland High School. Prosecutors said Fujita strangled Astley and slashed her neck at his home before leaving her body in a swampy area off Water Row.

Related: Fujita Found Guilty In Murder Of Ex-Girlfriend

During his trial, the defense argued Fujita suffered a brief psychotic episode when he killed Astley, a claim jurors rejected.

Now, Fujita's attorney, Robert Shaw Jr., is citing new evidence, saying Fujita has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia, the MetroWest Daily News reported. Shaw argued that Middlesex Superior Court Judge Helene Kazanjian improperly weighed the credibility of expert witnesses when she denied a retrial.

Shaw is asking the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to grant a new trial or send the case back to the Appeals Court, according to the newspaper. The SJC has taken the matter under advisement.

You can read more from the MetroWest Daily News here.

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