MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WTAQ) - A Milwaukee man returns to court Wednesday on charges that he killed 7 female prostitutes. 49-year-old Walter Ellis is expected to tell Circuit Judge Rebecca Dallet whether he has decided to replace his lawyer. At a hearing last month, Ellis complained he did not have enough contact with his current defense attorney, Russell Jones. But Dallet said Jones was working hard, and it’s common for a defendant not to have much contact with a lawyer at this stage of a case.

Ellis has pleaded not guilty to murder and homicide charges in the women’s deaths, which occurred between 1986 and 2007 within a few blocks of each other. If Ellis gets a new lawyer, a trial that’s now set for May is expected to be delayed. If Jones stays on, the judge will rule on several defense requests for the trial. They include a change of venue, and the allowing of testimony that points to other suspects.