The preliminary hearing dates have been set in the case of Gerald Stanley, accused of second-degree murder in the Aug. 9 death of Colten Boushie.
Lawyers for the Crown and defence appeared in provincial court Tuesday before Judge Bruce Bauer and have set Jan. 16 to 20 as dates for the preliminary hearing in the case. The preliminary hearing is to be held in courtroom 2, North Battleford Provincial Court.
Nov. 10 has also been set as the date for a case management meeting in the case. Dates for a full trial have yet to be set, and are not likely to be set until after the preliminary hearing concludes.
Boushie died of gunshot wounds Aug. 9 in an incident that happened on private property in the RM of Glenside near Biggar. The case has since garnered intense news coverage as well as social media comment.
Stanley was arrested and entered a not guilty plea in his last provincial court appearance Aug. 18. He appeared in Queen’s Bench court in Battleford for a bail hearing later that day and was released Aug. 19. A publication ban currently covers the evidence presented in court from that appearance.
Several members of the victim’s family were in court for the latest proceedings in North Battleford, the first to be held since Stanley's release Aug. 19.
Not in court was Stanley himself. After the court proceedings Tuesday, Boushie family members were vocal in expressing their displeasure that Stanley was not present in court.
When the Sept. 13 court date was originally set, Stanley was scheduled to appear via CCTV. But Stanley was later released from custody, and for this appearance his personal attendance was not required.
In other news from the day, Boushie family members introduced Chris Murphy, a criminal lawyer in Toronto, who is acting as the family’s legal advisor in the case.
Murphy said to reporters his role would be “to help ensure Gerald Stanley gets a fair trial in this case, so that at the end, whether or not Gerald Stanley is convicted or whether or not he is acquitted, that the family can be at peace knowing that everything was done that was possible to be done to put all the evidence before the jury.”
