BOONE COUNTY, WV (WOWK)—A hearing in the case of a man accused of killing a woman and her unborn child was rescheduled on Friday after a judge expressed concerns about the prosecutor’s office’s handling of the case.

Mitchell Hughes was in Boone County Circuit Court on Friday for a conference to set a new pre-trial hearing.

During the conference, Judge Stacy L. Nowicki-Eldridge admonished the prosecution for several issues that have caused delays in the case including the failure to disclose digital evidence in a timely matter.

This case is being handled by the office of the same Boone County Prosecutor who is facing disciplinary board charges after court documents say she hired her boyfriend as an assistant prosecutor, among other instances of alleged misconduct.

Hughes, who is from Racine, West Virginia, is charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of 22-year-old Ashley Goad and her unborn child, who her loved ones said she planned to name Kenneth. Goad was shot outside her home in Comfort, West Virginia on Oct. 18, 2021. Following the shooting, the suspect left the scene, leading authorities on a manhunt to Kanawha State Forest where he was arrested later that night.

At the time of the shooting, authorities told 13 News they did not believe there was any connection between Goads and Hughes. 

Hughes had been arrested in the past for murder and conspiracy charges back in March of 2017. In that case, he served nine months for charges of involuntary manslaughter after running over a man with his vehicle.

A pre-trial hearing is now scheduled for April 26 at 9 a.m.