The much-anticipated second-degree murder trial of Gerald Stanley begins Monday in Battleford.
Stanley is the man accused of shooting and killing Colten Boushie, of Red Pheasant First Nation, on private property in the RM of Glenside in August 2016. Following a preliminary hearing in April of last year, Stanley was committed to stand trial.
The trial begins Jan. 29 with jury selection. It’s been confirmed this process will take place, not at the court house, but at the much larger Alex Dillabough Centre in Battleford.
The reason the Alex Dillabough Centre is the venue for jury selection is likely because of the large number of people expected for the jury pool. It has been reported that 750 people have been called for jury duty in the case, a number that venue should easily be able to handle.
After a jury is selected, the trial will take place at Court of Queen’s Bench, also in Battleford. The presiding judge is Chief Justice Martel Popescul of Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench.
The trial is scheduled to run at the court house through Feb. 15, however it is possible not all the trial dates will be needed.
During the preliminary hearing back in April in North Battleford provincial court, five days had been set aside for those hearings, but only three court days were needed.
The preliminary hearings saw a heavy security presence both inside and outside the courthouse, as well as some large crowds of demonstrators outside. The bail hearing, held at Battleford court house in 2016, also drew a large crowd of demonstrators.
The accused, Gerald Stanley, is still out on bail as the murder trial begins.
The case has drawn considerable media attention, as well as the attention of a multitude of people interested in seeing the trial live.
For those attending the trial in person, the Court of Queen’s Bench is passing along this information in advance to those attending:
The Court of Queen’s Bench would like to advise residents of Battlefords and the surrounding area that there is limited seating available for the trial of The Queen v Gerald Stanley, which begins Jan. 29, 2018, in Battleford. As well, there will be airport-style security screening in place at the Court House, and at the Alex Dillabough Centre for jury selection. If you plan to attend, please be prepared for a brief wait prior to entering the Court House.
The Court of Queen’s Bench is also advising members of the public attending the trial to not bring backpacks, cameras, or food and drink. Cell phones must be turned off.
