By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

A 24-year-old Birmingham man who was convicted in October of shooting and killing an Alabaster man in 2011 will be sentenced for the crime in late January after his defense attorney said he was not prepared for the sentencing on Dec. 3.

Daveon L. Cathey, wearing an orange Shelby County Jail jumpsuit, leg shackles and handcuffs, appeared in the Shelby County Courthouse with his defense attorney, Rick Vickers, during a brief hearing in front of Judge Dan Reeves on Dec. 3.

Although Cathey originally was scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 3, Vickers requested Reeves delay the sentencing to allow the defense adequate time to subpoena witnesses.

Vickers said Cathey produced a list of witnesses to subpoena to the sentencing hearing in early November, and said the subpoenas went out on Nov. 25.

“I don’t have a return of service on any of those subpoenas,” Vickers told Reeves.

Reeves granted the sentencing continuance over the objection of Assistant Shelby County District Attorney Roger Hepburn, who said the state was “completely ready” to call witnesses and move forward with the sentencing on Dec. 3.

Cathey is now scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 28, 2014, at 1:30 p.m.

“There will not be another continuance beyond this, beyond some extraordinary necessity,” Reeves said.

Cathey has been found guilty of shooting and killing 34-year-old Alabaster resident Jonathan Williams at Williams’ house in Alabaster. The shooting happened at about 10:15 p.m. when Cathey shot Williams while he was exiting his vehicle at his residence in the 100 block of 11th Avenue Southeast in Alabaster. Alabaster Police Chief Curtis Rigney previously said the shooting happened during a robbery.

After Williams was shot, he was transported to UAB Hospital, where he later died.

Alabaster police officers worked with members of the U.S. Marshal Service Fugitive Task Force to bring 24-year-old Daveon L. Cathey into custody at about 12:50 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2011, in the 13000 block of Highway 25 in Calera.

Cathey faces up to life in prison for the crime.