The Union County Prosecutor's Office said Cranford resident William Parisio, 24, charged with the murder of his longtime girlfriend Pamela Schmidt, of Warren, is still waiting for a date to be set for his trial, 16 months after his arrest.

Parisio was charged with murder on March 14, 2011, a day after Schmidt, 22, was found murdered in the basement of Parisio's Cranford home a little after noon. He has been held in Union County Jail in Elizabeth, with bail set at $400,000, since his arraignment.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, such delays in scheduling criminal trials are not uncommon in the county, due to the backlog of cases.

Schmidt, a 2007 Watchung Hills graduate, was a student at Rutgers nearing graduation, with degrees in Labor Relations, Psychology and Human Resources. She had plans to continue her education at Rutgers' graduate school of human resources.

The murder led to prompt legislative action against over-the-counter drugs known as bath salts because of reports Parisio's use of the drug may have contributed to the murder. Toxicology test showed he hadn't taken the drug prior to the murder, but the law banning the salts became known as "Pamela's Law."