A man convicted of carving up and hiding the body of a man he killed asked for a new trial yesterday.

Lawyers for Brian Sedlak argued that he should get a new trial on charges that he killed Patrick Kenney, 22, of Jefferson Hills. They also filed a motion asking that the judge modify his sentence.

In February, a jury convicted Mr. Sedlak, 37, of Greenfield, of third-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, for shooting Mr. Kenney in Mr. Sedlak's tanning salon in Homestead. Mr. Sedlak had testified that he shot Mr. Kenney in self- defense after Mr. Kenney tried to rob him. He said at trial someone else disposed of the body.

Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey A. Manning sentenced him to 19 to 38 years in prison.

Yesterday, attorney Paul D. Boas told the judge he felt rushed to trial -- amid a plea negotiation that was in progress -- when the judge denied a continuance in February. He argued that the lack of continuance was grounds for a new trial.

Mr. Boas also introduced evidence about a key witness for the prosecution who got a significantly reduced sentence after his testimony about Mr. Sedlak's guilt. At trial, he said the witness testified that Assistant District Attorney Lisa Pellegrini hadn't promised him reduced charges in his drug case.

But when the felony drug case came before another judge two weeks after Mr. Sedlak's conviction, the witness got one year of probation.

Ms. Pellegrini yesterday called a narcotics detective to testify that this witness was a confidential informant, which is not something any detective would want revealed in open court.

Finally, Mr. Boas argued that his client should have gotten a shorter sentence for leading county detectives to the place where some parts of the body were recovered a few days prior to his sentencing.

Co-defense counsel Lisa G. Middleman said the defendant turned down a great plea deal -- of two to four years in prison -- and went to trial because he believed he had killed Mr. Kenney in self-defense. She said he prevented the prosecution from having to tackle a "who done it," since the body hadn't been found.

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