Oceanside

The lead attorney for Laura Troiani, accused of conspiring with five Marines to kill her husband two years ago, was dropped from the case Wednesday because of “irreconcilable differences” he had with Troiani and her co-counsel over trial strategy, Superior Court Judge Gilbert Nares said.

Nares granted the motion by Jack Campbell that he be removed as her attorney after Troiani asked that he be dropped and after the co-counsel, Geraldine Russell, asked that she be taken off the case because of differences she had with Campbell.

Nares opted to drop Campbell from the case and to elevate Russell to lead attorney in her defense.

Troiani’s trial was to have begun Aug. 4 but now will be delayed--perhaps several months--until a new co-counsel for her defense is retained, officials said.

Troiani and the five co-defendants are accused of shooting Carlo Troiani in August, 1984, on a deserted Oceanside street near the back gate of Camp Pendleton.

Campbell had represented Troiani as her court-appointed attorney through her preliminary hearing and pretrial motions.

The district attorney’s office is seeking the death penalty for each of the six defendants, who will be tried separately. Laura Troiani’s trial will be the first one.