Lake Street accused to stand trial on first-degree murder

A judge has committed Jonathan Townsend to stand trial on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of a 42-year-old woman in the summer of  2013.

Ontario Court Justice John Kukurin made the committal order late Wednesday  after three days of hearing testimony during the 19-year-old man's preliminary inquiry.

Townsend is charged in the slaying of Coreillie Bonhomme, whose body was found Aug. 8, 2013 in a Lake Street apartment.

Prosecutor Nancy Komsa called nine witnesses, including four officers with the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, during the preliminary hearing, which had been scheduled for five days.

Townsend 's next court appearance will take place in January in the Superior Court of Justice.

Through his lawyer Jennifer Tremblay-Hall,  he has elected to be tried by a judge and jury.

Kukurin imposed a publication ban that prohibits reporting any evidence  heard at the preliminary, which determines if there is enough evidence to commit an accused to stand trial.

Following the death of  Bonhomme, who had no fixed address, police charged Townsend, then 18,  of 379 Lake Street, Apt. G9, with second-degree  murder.

Investigators said the woman had been stabbed and they had seized an edged weapon. 

About six weeks later, the charge was upgraded to first-degree murder after the investigators traveled to Kokomo, Ind. where they met with police there as a result of some new information the Sault officers had received.

Kokomo police subsequently charged a 12-year-old girl with aiding, inducing or causing murder in relation to the Sault homicide.

(PHOTO: The city police mobile command unit sits in the parking lot at 379 Lake Street in this 2013 file photo. SooToday)