Authorities waited at The William W. Backus Hospital Thursday to see if a key witness in the murder case of LaShawn "BI" Cecil would be released from the psychiatric unit so that he could testify at a court hearing.

William Colello of Norwich, who court officials say was hospitalized last weekend for psychiatric reasons, apparently remains hospitalized, according to prosecutor Stephen M. Carney.

Colello was under subpoena to testify at a probable cause hearing in the case of LaShawn "BI" Cecil, who is charged with firing multiple shots through the front door of 26-year-old Jaclyn Wirth's apartment at 6D Baltic St. in Norwich on Dec. 14, 2011, killing her in front of her children.

"We believed he was going to be released today from (The William W. Backus Hospital)," Carney said in court Thursday afternoon.

Inspector Rhett D'Amico from the State's Attorney's Office spoke to Colello's relatives and waited at the hospital for his release, Carney said. Colello did not appear, and a Norwich police officer was posted at the hospital with instructions to tell Colello that if he should leave the hospital he should immediately report to the Huntington Street courthouse in New London to testify, Carney said.

Late Thursday afternoon, Backus spokesman Shawn Mawhiney said that due to patient privacy issues, he could not confirm or deny whether Colello is an admitted patient.

Police allege Colello was driving Cecil and drug-dealer Harold K. "Haas" Butler when Butler instructed Cecil to go to Wirth's apartment and collect a drug debt owed by the brother of Wirth's boyfriend.

Colello provided police with a statement following a lengthy interrogation and is considered an important witness to the prosecution.

As a defendant in a murder case, Cecil is exercising his right to a probable cause hearing at which the state, in order to continue prosecuting him, has to prove the crime probably occurred and that it was probably committed by Cecil.

Strackbein listened to testimony from four witnesses on Monday, then continued the case to Wednesday after learning that Colello was unavailable. He remained unavailable Wednesday, so she continued the case to Thursday.

On Thursday, she granted Carney a third continuance until this coming Monday, Aug. 3, so that Colello has adequate notice of the hearing.

Carney said that his impression, based on his last conversation with Colello, was that although Colello, who was under subpoena, was not eager to testify, he intended to testify.

Carney said he would review the law to see if he's in a position to seek a material witness warrant in which a judge could order Colello detained until he testifies.

Without more information, Strackbein said it is hard to infer that Colello is refusing to testify. She said Cecil's attorney, William T. Koch Jr. , plans to issue his own subpoena in the matter.

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter: @KFLORIN