Attorneys representing a man who was sentenced to death more than two decades ago in the murder of a waitress are trying to stop prosecutors from retrying the defendant.

A federal judge last year overturned the first-degree murder conviction of 50-year-old Mark Breakiron of Hopwood, citing tainted testimony from another inmate.

Breakiron is scheduled to go on trial again in Fayette County in August on murder and robbery charges in the 1987 murder of 24-year-old Saundra Martin of Smithfield.

Prosecutors said he stabbed the victim 20 times and cut her throat before stealing her purse and bags of money from Shenanigan's Lounge in German Township.

According to Channel 11’s news exchange partners at TribLIVE, the defense attorneys are asking a judge to halt the retrial, citing what they called "pervasive" violations of Breakiron's rights.