Man charged with murder of 2 Saint John boys to face trial next summer
Roman Kamyshnyy, 45, will be tried by judge and jury in June 2026 on two counts of 1st-degree murder
A man accused of killing two boys in Saint John last winter will stand trial in June 2026.
Roman Kamyshnyy, 45, appeared in Saint John Court of King's Bench on Monday remotely from custody over the phone.
He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of the boys — aged 10 and 17 — on Jan. 29.
Police found their bodies inside an apartment on Skaling Court in Millidgeville in the city's north end around 7 a.m., while responding to a 911 call.
There's a publication ban on any information that could identify them.
Officers also found a man they described as having life-threatening injuries. He was taken into custody and transported to hospital.
Kamyshnyy was deemed fit in April to stand trial, following a psychiatric assessment at the Restigouche Hospital Centre in Campbellton.
He was originally scheduled to set a date Monday for a preliminary inquiry — a hearing before a provincial court judge to determine if there's enough evidence to proceed to trial.
But the Crown filed a direct indictment, which moves the case directly to trial in the Court of King's Bench.
Justice Kathryn Gregory scheduled the trial for June 8 to 26, 2026.
All homicide trials in Canada are typically heard by a judge and jury, as stipulated by the Criminal Code. An accused can request to be tried without a jury, but the attorney general must consent.
Kamyshnyy's defence lawyer Shanna Wicks indicated to reporters he will face a jury of his peers.
The judge also set aside Dec. 8 to 19 for pre-trial voir dires, which are hearings to determine admissibility of evidence.
Crown prosecutor Elaina Campbell advised the court that those dates are "kind of baked in the assumption that we're going to have some agreement" with the defence on certain matters.
"If the Crown's put to task on every element of this case, we may need more" dates, she said. "We will advise the court as soon as we know."
A pre-trial conference will be held on June 9.