The defence team for the man accused in the Sept. 7 murder of 22-year-old Taylor Marshall and a brutal boardwalk assault on the same date says it has received enough disclosure from the Crown to schedule a judicial pretrial.
The accused, Steven Jones, did not appear in video remand court on Thursday, but was represented in the Ontario Court of Justice by Rebecca Silver, a lawyer for Toronto-based Furgiuele Law. That firm was retained to represent Jones in October.
The charges against Jones have not been proven in court.
Silver told Judge John Condon that her office recently received a large amount of disclosure information from the Crown.
“We can’t confirm if disclosure is complete yet, but we did receive a significant amount yesterday,” said Silver.
She told Condon her office is content in moving forward with a judicial pretrial, or JPT.
A JPT is generally held behind closed doors and includes a judge, defence and the Crown. If the case continues after the JPT, a date for trial will likely be set.
Condon asked if a Crown pretrial had been held. When Silver said it had not, the judge said one should be scheduled.
“Ms. Silver, I recommend you communicate with the Crown’s office today and ask for a CPT ASAP,” he said.
Because of newly enacted rules put in place in response to the Jordan framework, a court date for this case must be scheduled to begin arguments no later than six months after the Sept. 7 arrest, meaning it has to be scheduled by March 7, 2024.
Silver said she will make the request for a CPT and attempt to hold it and a JPT before the next scheduled court date on Jan. 25.
Jones was arrested near the scene of the boardwalk stabbing shortly after it occurred on the afternoon of Sept. 7. A week later, on Sept. 14, Insp. Brent Duguay of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service told media that police linked Jones to Marshall's murder after discovering evidence that placed him "at or near" her John Street home before his arrest.