APPLETON — The cases of two men charged in the October shooting death of a Minnesota man were delayed a third time Friday when neither appeared in court with a defense attorney.

Artheddius Peeler, known by his middle name of Pierre, died early Oct. 26 after a fight erupted over a loud party at a Grand Chute apartment complex where Peeler, of Plymouth, Minn., was visiting his sister. He was hit three times, once each in the chest, left shoulder and left thigh. It was his 23rd birthday.

Michael D. Potts, 25, and Keith L. Birr, 24, have been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and appeared Friday in Outagamie County Circuit Court for the third time since they were arrested Nov. 3. Both men previously rejected public defense.

Potts, the man who police say pulled the trigger, has now accepted public defense and will be represented by attorney Mark Fremgen, said Gene Bartman of the Office of the State Public Defender. Fremgen could not appear in court Friday.

Birr has also qualified for a public defender but says his family is still searching for a private attorney. The public defender's office is searching for a defense attorney as an alternative, Bartman said.

When Bartman said Birr was still searching for a private attorney, several men wearing T-shirts with Peeler's image stood up and walked out of the courtroom. They were frustrated by the delay in the case, they told a sheriff's deputy.

Outagamie County District Attorney Carrie Schneider said after the hearing that she expected the cases to proceed Wednesday, when both men appear in court again.

— Kate McGinty writes for The Post-Crescent of Appleton.