Brandon Libby, 37, enters a Cumberland County Superior Courtroom for a hearing in February. Libby was charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend in 2021. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

A man charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend three years ago will not be going to trial next week as scheduled.

Brandon Libby, 37, is accused of killing Amanda Brown, with whom he was living and shared two children, at their Standish home.

He had been scheduled for trial starting Tuesday, but at a hearing Thursday, Superior Court Justice Thomas McKeon granted Libby’s request to reschedule because one of his lawyers had a death in the family.

“It could be many months before we’re able to find a trial time for you,” McKeon said while asking Libby if he was sure he wanted to wait longer. Libby said he understood.

Prosecutors didn’t take a position on Libby’s request for more time.

They are giving Libby until June 7 to accept a plea offer, Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese said in court. The state is willing to jointly request with the defense that he serve 38 years behind bars. If Libby chooses to plead but wants to serve less time, Marchese said the state would agree to a 42-year cap.

If convicted, Libby faces anywhere from 25 years to life in prison.

Libby has been at the Cumberland County Jail since his arrest in November 2021. He was arrested about four months after Brown was found in their home dead from a gunshot wound.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge on Nov. 8, 2021.

The same day police were called to Standish, they learned from Libby’s family that he had barricaded himself inside his ex-fiancée’s house in North Waterboro. His family had contacted police because they were scared he would hurt himself, according to court records.

The Maine State Police Tactical Team gathered outside the North Waterboro house and coaxed Libby outside. As he was exiting, a police K-9 bit him in the chest and he had to go to a hospital in Sanford for treatment, according to court records.

In an ambulance and at the hospital, Libby made several statements to a detective who was watching over him, even though she says she never asked him to and waited until after his treatment to conduct an official  interview, police have said.

Libby’s lawyers, Matthew Crockett and Rob Andrews, had asked a judge earlier this year to throw those statements out, as well as all evidence seized by police who had entered the Standish home to look for Brown. The defense had argued that material was obtained unconstitutionally, but the court disagreed.