UPDATE: Trial date set for Del. man accused of killing wife & mother-in-law

A trial date has been set for a man charged for the alleged killing of his wife and mother-in-law.

According to a spokesman for Delaware’s Department of Justice, Gilbert Rochester, 66, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Monday morning. We’re told a case review was scheduled for October 11, and a trial for February 6, 2017.

Rochester is being held without bail at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center. He is charged with two counts of First Degree Murder and two counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony.

The charges stem from an incident back in December of 2015. Police say Rochester allegedly parked his car in a field about one mile east of a home on Hawkey Branch Road. He reportedly then walked to the house where he waited outside. Police say 80-year-old Louise Cavuto Carrow, identified as Rochester’s mother-in-law, exited her home and began walking to a detached garage in order to leave for church. Authorities say Rochester assaulted Carrow causing her death.

Police say Rochester’s wife, 56-year-old Mary Lane, also exited the home shortly after and began walking to the garage. Police say Lane and Rochester were in the process of a divorce. According to Delaware State Police, Lane was attacked and stabbed to death by Rochester before he fled the scene on foot.

Nearby neighbors reportedly heard screams coming from the area of the home and witnessed the Lane’s attack while calling 911. When police arrived on the scene, they reportedly found Rochester hiding in some nearby woods on the property.

According to police, Rochester still had a knife in his possession and refused to drop it. Police say they temporarily incapacitated Rochester by using a taser.