A glitch added seven more days to a 17-month wait for the friends and families of Matthew Darr and Adonis White.

People packed Circuit Judge Dan Kellogg’s courtroom for the sentencing of Cody Wolfram on Monday afternoon. The 26-year-old Savannah man pleaded guilty in July to two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two more felony counts of assault stemming from an April 2008 car accident that killed Mr. Darr and Mr. White.

Mr. Wolfram faces a total of 44 years in prison for those four counts. But he didn’t receive his sentence Monday, because the court didn’t have an interpreter for Mr. White’s deaf mother, as is constitutionally required. Mr. Kellogg rescheduled the sentencing for next Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

Friends and families of the victims crowded the hallways outside of the courtroom prior to the hearing and filled every seat not in the jury box or at the attorney’s tables once inside. After a 30-minute wait, Megan Schueler, the prosecutor from the state attorney general’s office, told those seated in the front row that the judge postponed the hearing.

One person exclaimed, “Oh, my God. You have to be kidding me,” while another reasoned, “At least he’s still in jail.”

Four bailiffs and two St. Joseph police officers were present to keep order, but they did not bring Mr. Wolfram over from the jail.

“I extend my apologies on behalf of the court,” Mr. Kellogg told those gathered after finally emerging from his chambers. “I anticipated, wrongfully, when I set this date, (the interpreter) would be here.”

Outside the courtroom, Ms. Schueler told the News-Press, “My personal frustration is nothing compared to their (families).”

On April 5, 2008, Mr. Wolfram, driving a Mazda sedan, ran a stop sign at the intersection of 22nd and Commercial streets and stuck the truck in which Mr. Darr and Mr. White were riding. The truck spun around, struck a utility pole and caught on fire, according to the police report and witnesses. Mr. Darr, 23, died at the scene, while Mr. White, 21, was pronounced dead at Heartland Regional Medical Center.

Two others were injured in the crash.

According to the Missouri attorney general’s office, Mr. Wolfram’s blood alcohol level was 0.22 percent at the time — 0.14 over the legal limit.

R.J. Cooper can be reached at rjcooper@npgco.com