NORWICH – County Court W. Howard Sullivan has recused himself from hearing another local murder case citing a backlog of family court work.

George Ford Jr., 42, of Piscataway, N.J., was indicted for second degree murder over the death of his 12-year-old Otselic Valley baby-sitter, Shyanne A. Somers, from South Otselic, on July 8.

“I would like to respectfully recuse myself in this matter. My calendar is specifically set up for clearing the extraordinary caseload in Family Court. This trial will severely cut into my ability to do so,” said the judge in a statement.