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One of two suspects charged with the murder of a Calgary man whose remains were found near Morley will stand trial next March, more than a month before his alleged accomplice.
Defence lawyer Adam Klassen appeared via video link in Calgary Court of King’s Bench on Friday to schedule Jason Tait’s trial to begin March 3, 2025.
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Crown lawyer Katherine Love, appearing for trial prosecutor Britta Kristensen, said that was the earliest date the court could accommodate a three-week jury trial.
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“I understand those were the first dates Ms. Kristensen and Mr. Klassen were provided,” she told Justice Glen Poelman.
Love said the hearing is set to run to March 21.
That will be less than a month before Tait’s former co-accused, Darren Bulldog, is set to face his own three-week jury trial in Court of King’s Bench.
Bulldog’s lawyer, Chad Haggerty appeared in court two weeks ago to schedule his client’s trial to begin next April 14.
Both men are charged with second-degree murder in the death of Calgarian Keanan Crane, whose remains were found near Morley, west of the city, on May 15, 2022, after his family reported him missing at the end of April.
Calgary police indicated they believed Crane was killed on April 7, 2022, and his body was moved outside the city.
Both men were in the midst of a preliminary inquiry on the murder charges when Kristensen filed a direct indictment against Bulldog, meaning his case went straight to Court of King’s Bench without the need for a judicial committal.
The direct indictment was filed during a month-long delay in the preliminary between March 21 and April 25, which was granted by Justice Peter Barley to allow the prosecution time to locate a witness.
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The hearing continued with only Tait in the prisoner’s box as that witness was located and brought to court to testify after his arrest on a warrant issued by Barley at the prosecution’s request.
Barley committed Tait, 33, to stand trial the following day, finding there was some evidence for a jury to weigh.
A publication ban was imposed by the judge on evidence presented at the inquiry.
The effect of Kristensen’s decision to file a direct indictment against Bulldog alone, effectively separated their two cases, forcing the scheduling of two separate trials.
Both Tait and Bulldog, who were originally charged with manslaughter before the allegations were upgraded, remain in custody pending an outcome to their trials.
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