The trial for a Philadelphia man accused of murdering a man over a pair of expensive headphones will have to wait one more day to begin.
Arkel Garcia's murder trial will now begin Tuesday, according to court records.
The now 21-year-old faces seven counts including murder, conspiracy, robbery and related charges.
Garcia gunned down Christian Massey on Nov. 30, 2013 in an alley near 58th Street and Lebanon Avenue in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia, said Philadelphia Police.
Massey, 21, was walking to a nearby friend’s house when a robber confronted him. Witnesses said the robber demanded Massey’s Dr. Dre Beats headphones, which retail for around $300, and when Massey tried to run, the would-be thief opened fire.
A bullet struck Massey in the chest, said investigators. The suspect ran, leaving the headphones he'd sought next to Massey’s bleeding body. When police arrived, Massey was still conscious and told officers an unknown male tried to rob him, officials said. He was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he later died.
Police eventually arrested Garcia and charged him with murder, robbery and related offenses. He has remained behind bars without bail for more than one year.
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Garcia has maintained his innocence.
His mother Lakasha Hardy, who lives on the same block where the shooting took place, told NBC10 that Garcia was at home watching movies on the front porch at the time of the shooting. She said her 14-year-old daughter also saw him there.
“I told him about the murder, because I seen it on the news that morning. He said ‘I don’t know.’ He was like ‘I was here,’” she said. “It’s at the corner of my block. There’s no way he did that. I searched his room, there are no weapons in his room.”
Garcia has a past criminal record for drugs and was on probation at the time of the shooting. Hardy said Garcia was working hard to stay out of trouble since that incident -- only going to school to get his high school diploma and to a court-ordered drug treatment program.
