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It would appear that, at least for now, the case of the man accused of murdering Misha Pavelick is headed toward a trial.
The 35-year-old accused man, who cannot be named because he was a youth at the time of the alleged offence, made a brief appearance in Regina provincial court on Wednesday, where his lawyer signalled his current intent.
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The case dates back to the May long weekend in 2006 when a fight broke out between party crashers and guests at a high school gathering in a campground near Regina Beach. That was when Pavelick, 19, was stabbed to death.
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The man accused was charged with second-degree murder in June 2023.
“The election is King’s Bench, judge with a jury, and I am in receipt of my friend’s notice to seek an adult sentence,” defence lawyer Andrew Hitchcock told Judge Lane Wiegers on Wednesday, using the term “friend” to refer to prosecutor Adam Breker.
An accused can either choose a trial by judge alone or judge with a jury. When the latter is the choice made, it means a judge will preside over the trial and advise the jury about matters pertaining to the law, but the jury will ultimately render the verdict on the trial.
In all criminal cases where an accused is convicted, sentencing is handled by a judge alone.
Police spent years searching for information about Pavelick’s death, and even went so far as to release a podcast called “Who Killed Misha Pavelick?” The goal of the podcast was to get anyone with information to come forward.
It’s unclear whether the podcast led investigators to information that resulted in the charge.
Breker indicated Wednesday that dates have been selected for a preliminary inquiry to be held in provincial court in October 2024.
A preliminary inquiry is a hearing held to determine whether there is enough evidence in support of the Crown’s case to allow the matter to proceed to a trial. However, such hearings are normally subject to a publication ban, preventing reporting on the evidence heard.
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