A Somerset county man who's accused of killing his girlfriend's 18-month-old daughter was back in the courtroom Monday.

Cody Schartiger is still scheduled to go to trial at the end of this month, but his case may have hit a roadblock.

Schartiger was appointed a public defender after his arrest last year. Since then, he's had the same person helping him put together his case. But on Monday, less than a month away from trial, things took a dramatic turn as his defense attorney asked to be withdrawn from the case.

Defense attorney Joseph Policicchio said he was ready to take Schartiger's case to trial, but he also represents a man who the commonwealth said they plan to call to the stand as a material witness during the trial, creating a conflict of interest for Policicchio.

On Monday, Policicchio told the judge it's taken a lot of thought for him to come to the decision, but he said the move is in everyone's best interest. The judge agreed and pulled Policicchio from the case, but that means Schartiger's trial will now likely be delayed.

"It's a serious case and probably will go a week and a half, if not two weeks," said Somerset County District Attorney Lisa Lazzari-Strasiser. "So the question is can the new attorney, in light of how serious the charges are, get up to speed and try the case, essentially by the end of the month."

The judge said that he plans to look for replacement council for Schartiger immediately and even said a ruling could come down as early as Tuesday afternoon.