Travis Lofton, is the 41-year-old Mobile man who has been charged with murder in Mallette’s death,

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Shortly after 5:30 a.m. June 29, Jason Mallette was shot outside his place of employment, Taziki’s Mediterranean Café in Daphne. Now the families affected must wait a little longer for the wheels of justice to turn.

The preliminary hearing for Travis Lofton, the 41-year-old Mobile man who has been charged with murder in Mallette’s death, was set to begin this week but was postponed. Gulf Coast Media contacted Assistant District Attorney Patrick Doggett to find out more about the postponement.

“The preliminary hearing was continued on the motion of the defense,” Doggett said. “It was reset to Aug. 24. Lofton remains in custody on $250,000 bail. This type of continuance is not unusual and should not affect the overall timeline of the case.”

The Offices of the United States Attorneys website defines a preliminary hearing as:

“A preliminary hearing is like a mini-trial. The prosecution will call witnesses and introduce evidence and the defense can cross-examine witnesses. However, the defense cannot object to using certain evidence and in fact, evidence is allowed to be presented at a preliminary hearing that could not be shown to a jury at trial.

If the judge concludes there is probable cause to believe the crime was committed by the defendant, a trial will soon be scheduled. However, if the judge does not believe the evidence establishes probable cause that the defendant committed the offense, they will dismiss the charges.”