NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge has delayed an arraignment for accused murder Daniel Callihan so prosecutors and defense lawyers can process evidence and refine potential charges to be filed in the case.

Callihan, 36, is accused in Louisiana and Mississippi state courts with killing Callie Brunett, 35, at her Loranger home and kidnapping her two young daughters. Erin Brunett, 4, was found dead near Jackson, Mississippi, last month.

Callihan had been due in federal court Friday on allegations related to the case, including a plan to keep the surviving daughter as a sex slave. The hearing was delayed until Aug. 12.

"Defendant has consented to this continuance of the preliminary hearing, and ... good cause has been shown because the parties are engaged in ongoing efforts related to evidence processing and review of the case," the court wrote. "Therefore, a continuance of the preliminary hearing is in the best interest of justice and the public's interest in the prompt disposition of criminal cases."