A lawyer representing the man accused in the Taylor Marshall homicide made a brief court appearance Thursday asking for the bail phase to be pushed back another three weeks.
Steven Jones of Toronto was arrested and charged with attempted murder on Sept. 7, 2023 at the scene of a random stabbing at the Sault Ste. Marie boardwalk.
Sault Police were called to Marshall's apartment later that same day, where the 22-year-old woman was found dead. A few days later, Jones was formally charged with first-degree murder.
The allegations against Jones have not been tested in court and he is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
Jones did not appear Thursday in video remand court, but was represented by Rebecca Silver, lawyer for Toronto-based Furgiuele Law. That firm was retained to represent Jones at his last scheduled court date in October.
Silver told justice of the peace Kathleen Bryant on Thursday that the defence is still waiting for some information from the office of the Crown Attorney.
“We are still in the process of receiving further disclosure and we have reviewed the first wave of disclosure," she said.
Silver asked for the matter to be put over until Dec. 14 and the request was granted by Bryant.
Bryant informed Silver that under the newly enacted rules put in place in response to the Jordan Framework, the court date for the matter will have to 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.
Those rules were put in place in response to the R. v Jordan case that eventually went to the Supreme Court of Canada. The high court's decision in that case ensures trials are to dealt with in a more timely manner.
Silver was asked if a judicial pre-trial had been completed in the case, to which she answered it had not because defence does not yet have enough disclosure to do so.
Jones is entitled to a bail hearing for the attempted murder charge, in which the Crown will need to provide a justice with reasons he should be denied a release.
In regards to the murder charge, automatic detention is called for, with a reverse onus on the defence to prove why he should not continue to be detained. That application would have to be heard in Superior Court and not by a justice of the peace.
Asked at last month's court date if an application is expected to be made for bail on the murder charge, counsel Andrew Furgiuele said no.
Furgiuele Law is a firm known for working on complex trials. Its website highlights cases in which its lawyers were able to successfully argue an accused was not criminally responsible and other cases that ended in acquittals or with overturned convictions.