Wayland Slay Suspect's Trial Date Set

A Wayland teenager accused of killing his former girlfriend and leaving her body in a marshy area of town will go on trial in about a year.

During a pretrial conference in Middlesex Superior Court on Wednesday, prosecutors and defense lawyers agreed on a tentative trial date of Oct. 29, 2012.

Nathaniel Fujita is accused of strangling and stabbing Lauren Astley in July. He is charged with first-degree murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery.

Both were 18 and had just graduated from Wayland High School. They had dated for several years but had recently split.

Fujita was not in court on Wednesday.

Fujita's lawyer tells The MetroWest Daily News he has yet to pore through documents in the case.