April Sentencing Trial Set for Bernie Tiede in East Texas

An East Texas judge has set an April 1 start for the sentencing trial for a man whose 1999 murder conviction inspired the dark comedy ``Bernie.''

Special Judge Diane DeVasto set the date at a hearing in Carthage after attorneys for Bernie Tiede requested a delay. DeVasto said no more delays will be granted.

DeVasto granted a defense motion in October to move the trial from Carthage to Rusk in Henderson County, 27 miles to the west, to assure an impartial jury.

Tiede faces a new sentencing for his conviction of murder in the death of wealthy widow Marjorie Nugent for her fortune. Her body was found in 1997 in her freezer.

Tiede was released last year after prosecutors agreed Tiede was wrongly sentenced to life imprisonment.