Preliminary inquiry in Dieppe double-murder case set for December
Janson Baker, a 28-year-old from Moncton, is facing 2 counts of 1st-degree murder
A preliminary inquiry for a Moncton man accused of killing a Dieppe couple will take place in December, a judge said Tuesday.
Janson Bryan Baker, 28, is facing two charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of Bernard and Rose-Marie Saulnier in Dieppe in September 2019.
Baker appeared in person on Tuesday in Moncton's provincial court, where a judge set the date for a preliminary inquiry for Dec. 9-12.
Alex Pate, Baker's defence lawyer, acknowledged Tuesday that the Crown had enough evidence for the accused to stand trial.
This comes after a request by Crown prosecutors to prevent Baker from being represented by his current attorney's law firm, Gorham Vandebeek.
To support its request, prosecutors produced an affidavit detailing the evidence the Crown had obtained, which Pate also reviewed.
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The request to have Pate's firm removed from the case was later denied, but a publication ban prevents reporting on why that decision was made.
Pate told court that the defence still intends to call at least two witnesses at the hearing in December, and said he had informed Brad Burgess, the Crown prosecutor in the case.
"I advised him of two that we absolutely want," Pate said. "I've told him that there may be a few others."
Burgess said the prosecution is prepared to comply.
"We're happy to accommodate my friend with any other witnesses he wants to hear from, so long as we get enough notice ahead of time," Burgess said in court.
Once the hearing has gone through Moncton's provincial courts, the trial will take place in the Court of King's Bench.
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