A trial date of Oct. 17 was set Monday in Circuit Court for Korey Jacobs, accused in the April 1 stabbing death of Terrence Britt. Jacobs will face the death penalty in the case.

"We are, your honor," prosecutor Will Jamerson told Judge Carl Eason when asked if he intended to seek the death penalty.

Judge Westbrook Parker will hear the jury trial, which Jamerson estimated to last a week. He'll be prosecuting the case with Jeff James.

Jamerson wouldn't speculate on the prosecution's reasons for seeking the death penalty.

"To speculate on that would influence the jury pool," he said after court.

Nancy Kight of the Capital Defender's office, who will be defending Jacobs with Portsmouth attorney Barrett Richardson and two attorneys to be determined, asked for two motion dates, which Eason set for Aug. 25 and an undetermined date in September. It was unclear when he would be formally arraigned.

Jacobs told police that he confronted Britt after Britt allegedly spread rumors of Jacobs' bisexuality. He said that he hit Britt several times with a wooden stick in Britt's Liberty Avenue apartment, then stabbed him with a knife he found in the apartment.

Charges of capital murder, felony habitual offender and robbery were certified against him June 28.