The trial of a former Virginia Tech student accused of killing another student in a campus cafe has been postponed to next year.

Haiyang Zhu, 26, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Xin Yang. Police have said Zhu attacked and decapitated Yang as the pair had coffee together at Au Bon Pain in the Graduate Life Center in January.

His case was scheduled for a four-day jury trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court in November. At a brief hearing Tuesday, his attorney, Stephanie Cox, asked for a continuance, saying she needed more time to gather records and information for an expert witness to review.

Zhu's case was rescheduled for a trial beginning Feb. 1.