The date was pushed back to Nov. 17 after lawyers said they needed time to review motions and file replies.
Jurors recommended the death penalty for 48-year-old James Fayed May 19 when he was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy for plotting to kill Pamela Fayed nearly three years ago.
Fayed paid one of his employees and three gang members $25,000 to kill his wife. The two were going through a bitter divorce at the time, and he feared his wife would cooperate with a federal investigation into their international gold trading business and get half of the couple's marital assets. They had a net worth of about $12 million.
Pamela Fayed, 45, was fatally stabbed 13 times in a Century City parking lot in July 2008. While in jail as a prime suspect in his wife's killing, James Fayed confessed his guilt to his cellmate and also divulged a plot to kill his accomplices to clean up the mess.
The cellmate, who was cooperating with authorities, recorded the entire conversation, which was replayed at Fayed's trial. The recording was a key piece of evidence that led to Fayed's conviction.
The three men charged in the killing are awaiting trial separately. The alleged killer, Steven Vicente Simmons, 22; the alleged getaway driver, Jose Luis Moya, 51; and the alleged lookout, Gabriel Jay Marquez, 46, each face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
City News Service contributed to this report.
