COEUR d’ALENE — A trial date was set Tuesday for a 21-year-old Rathdrum man charged with manslaughter after an altercation in downtown Coeur d’Alene turned fatal.

Tyler Finlay chose not to enter a plea on his behalf at his arraignment in First District Court prompting District Judge John M. Mitchell to enter a not guilty plea and schedule a Nov. 27 trial.

The 2014 Lakeland High School graduate is accused of punching Jeffrey Marfice, 29, in an altercation in the early morning of June 18 on the 300 block of N. Fourth Street. Marfice was transported by ambulance to Kootenai Health with a head injury and died the next day.

In a courtroom filled with family members of both the victim and defendant, Mitchell gave three choices to Finlay, who appeared in street clothes after posting a $250,000 bond earlier this summer.

Finlay could plead guilty, not guilty, or he could remain silent, Mitchell said.

“If you do that, I will enter a not guilty plea on your behalf,” Mitchell said.

Finlay, who wore slacks and a button front shirt, spoke quietly, his voice barely audible as he answered questions from the court, but he chose to sit silently when Mitchell asked how he would plead to one count of voluntary manslaughter.

The charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.

Finlay’s attorney, Lisa Chesebro, and deputy prosecutor Jed Whitaker agreed to have a pretrial schedule in front of the court within the next couple of weeks. The schedule could lock in the case for a trial date at the end of November, not normally a time set for criminal trials because of the holidays.

Because of its special setting, Mitchell said he would be unlikely to postpone the trial once it was set.

“I would be very reluctant to continue this as we approach that date,” Mitchell said.

Attorneys agreed the date was doable.

“We will make every effort to get this to trial by that date,” Whitaker said.

Police said Finlay was harassing three women in downtown Coeur d’Alene around 1:45 a.m. on the night of the incident when Marfice stepped in to help the women, including his girlfriend, Crystal Mobbs. Marfice, an accountant and father of a 6-year-old, was allegedly struck by Finlay. He fell and struck his head on the sidewalk, according to reports. Finlay fled the scene and was later arrested and charged with aggravated battery. When Marfice was pronounced dead the next day, the charge was amended to voluntary manslaughter.

A grand jury indicted Finlay on the manslaughter charge. The indictment precluded a July 20 probable cause hearing.

Finlay, a construction worker, played football for the Lakeland Hawks and was named to the league’s 2013 most valuable player team.