Lawyer sets trial date for suspect in nearly 50-year-old murder

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The suspect in a nearly half-century-old murder of a Calgary teen will stand trial a year from now.

Articling student Mackenzie McCaffrey appeared in Calgary Court of King’s Bench Friday on behalf of defence counsel Pawel Milczarek to set a three-week trial for Ronald James Edwards to begin on March 3, 2025.

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The jury to hear the trial will be selected on Feb. 27.

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Crown prosecutor Jim Sawa indicated he expects the defence may apply for a challenge for cause hearing, where prospective jurors may be questioned about any pre-conceived notions in the case.

Those applications have in the past been held on the Wednesday prior to the start of trial, but Justice David Labrenz said such a hearing could be conducted during regular jury selections on the Thursday before the trial.

Edwards, 74, is charged with non-capital murder in connection with the Jan. 9, 1976, death of Pauline Brazeau, who was last seen leaving Peppe’s Ristorante near 7 St. and 17 Ave. S.W. in Calgary.

Her semi-nude body was found five hours later near a logging road 40 kilometres southwest of Cochrane near the Jumping Pound Airstrip.

Brazeau, 16, had recently moved to Calgary from Saskatchewan. The Metis woman was a single mother who was known to be a frequent hitchhiker.

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It was determined she had had sexual intercourse before her death, but it was uncertain whether she had been sexually assaulted.

Edwards was charged last November, and police said they used a DNA technology known as Investigative Genetic Genealogy to help them make and arrest in the cold-case homicide.

At the time of Brazeau’s death there were two categories of murder in the Criminal Code, non-capital murder and capital murder, the latter of which has since been phased out.

In January, Milczarek waived his client’s right to a preliminary inquiry and asked that the case go directly to trial.

Edwards, who remains in custody, did not appear in court on Friday.

-with files from staff

KMartin@postmedia.com

X: @KMartinCourts

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