WESTLOCK — Crown prosecutors at the Court of Queen’s Bench say they need to “assess the viability of the file” involving a Westlock teenager accused of second-degree murder after an August 2019 downtown shooting.
The teen was supposed to appear in the Edmonton courthouse Oct. 2 to set a trial date, but Judge John Henderson granted the prosecutor’s request for a two-week adjournment.
A new appearance date was set for Oct. 16, also at Court of Queen’s Bench.
At 12:10 a.m. Aug. 2, 2019, Westlock RCMP responded to a 911 call that a man had suffered a gunshot wound. The 62-year-old was already dead by the time officers arrived. Police say the victim and the accused, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, knew each other.
A preliminary hearing for his case was first scheduled for July 15-16 in Westlock Provincial Court, but due to COVID-19 the local courthouse was closed. A pre-trial conference had also been previously scheduled for Jan. 10, 2020. The teenager first appeared in court Aug. 7, 2019 from the Edmonton Remand Centre, when he was released on a surety bond.
A publication ban under the Youth Criminal Justice Act prohibits naming the accused.