ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) - The man who is charged with the death of another man whose body was found in the St. Joseph River in Elkhart is getting a continuance in his case.

The jury trial for 59-year-old Michael Hawkins Jr. will not start next month as originally scheduled .

Now, it’s scheduled to start on Jan. 5, 2026.

Hawkins was arrested on July 18, a day after 50-year-old Anthony Null’s body was found in the river , on charges of possession of meth and paraphernalia. But prosecutors later accused him of murder in this case.

According to court paperwork , the victim’s girlfriend told police the two men got in an argument over synthetic marijuana and a coffee prior to the shooting.

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