PORT ORCHARD — The trial of David Kalac, charged with murdering his soon-to-be-former girlfriend and then posting photos of her body online, will hinge on the outcome of a hearing on Friday, Sept. 2, to determine whether the case judge will grant his legal team more time to prepare a defense of long-term alcohol impairment.

Amber Coplin, 30, was a mother of five who had been seeing Kalac but had begun withdrawing from the relationship.

Attorney Adrian Pimentel assumed the role as lead attorney in Kalac’s defense when the lead public defender in the case, Ronald Ness, passed away suddenly on Aug. 6. Pimentel and his defense team began developing a defense strategy that held that Kalac was suffering from the long-term effects of alcoholism, which twisted his judgment.

Pimentel has now requested a continuance twice to buy more time to locate and brief potential expert witnesses who will testify to the potential effects of long-term alcohol abuse that would explain Kalac’s actions. A scheduled hearing had been continued until Tuesday, Aug. 30, but it had to be continued yet again because of a communications problem in transmitting key court documents to trial Judge Jeannette Dalton.

The only purpose of the continuance, defense attorney Pimental said, was to get more time to organize their case. Currently, the case is scheduled for trial on Sept. 19.