ORANGEBURG, South Carolina, USA: A judge has refused a request by the parents charged with killing their autistic son to be tried separately.

However, Circuit Judge James C. Williams said on July 1 that he would allow the couple's attorneys to renew the request after they had received additional details about the prosecution's case.

Renee and Terrence Britt are charged with homicide by child abuse, aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse and unlawful conduct toward a child in the death of six-year-old Gabriel Britt in 2001.

Gabriel was found dead in a pond near the family's home in the Dorchester County community of Texas on March 11, 2001, eight days after he was reported missing.

At the hearing on July 1, Williams also heard arguments about whether prosecutors should be compelled to provide more details about the charges. He is expected to rule on that motion later this month.

The Britts are being held without bail. Their trial is expected to start in St. George, South Carolina, on August 4.