A judicial pre-trial for accused murderer Steven Jones that was previously scheduled for September was moved up two months to July 10 during a court appearance on Wednesday.
The Sept. 18 date for judicial pre-trial (JPT) had been scheduled during a court appearance last month. Jones was mostly non-verbal during his exchanges with Justice Susan Stothart during that appearance.
Jones did not appear in court on Wednesday, but Kamran Sajid, a member of his defence team from Toronto-based Furgiuele Law, was in attendance by video at the Sault Ste. Marie Courthouse to set a new date for JPT.
Jones faces one attempted murder charge and a second charge for murder. The allegations against Jones have not been tested in court and he is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
A JPT is generally held behind closed doors and includes a judge, the accused, defence and the Crown. If the case continues after the JPT, a date for trial will likely be set.
On Wednesday, Justice Michael Varpio set the new JPT date for July 10. Jones will return to court on July 17, one week after the JPT is held.
There was no discussion in court by defence or the Crown on Wednesday as to why the date for the JPT has been accelerated by more than two months from the original schedule.
Jones is facing the murder charge in relation to the Sept. 7, 2023 killing of 22-year-old Taylor Marshall, who was found dead in her John Street apartment that evening.
Earlier that same day, Jones was arrested and charged with attempted murder near the scene of a boardwalk stabbing that left Liam Frenette with serious injuries.
It wasn't until a week later, on Sept. 14, that Sault Police announced that investigators had linked Jones to the scene of the Marshall murder and charged him accordingly. Police said at the time that Jones did not know the victims, suggesting both attacks were random.