Defence for the man accused in the Sept. 7 murder of 22-year-old Taylor Marshall, and a brutal boardwalk assault on the same date, won't be back in court until late next month.
A judicial pre-trial (JPT) had been set for Feb. 1 for the accused, Steven Jones, in the last scheduled appearance on Jan. 25. On Thursday, he did not appear but was represented in the Ontario Court of Justice by Rebecca Silver, a lawyer for Toronto-based Furgiuele Law.
A JPT is generally held behind closed doors and includes a judge, defence and the Crown. If the case continues after that, a date for trial will likely be set.
Silver told justice of the peace Kathleen Bryant that a second JPT has been set for March 6 and asked that the matter be put over until March 21.
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.
It's unclear how the next court appearance on March 21, weeks after that deadline, will affect the scheduling of the court date.
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, Sault Police Service told media that detectives linked Jones to Marshall's murder after discovering evidence that placed him "at or near" her John Street home before his arrest.
The murder and attempted murder charges against Jones have yet to be tested in court and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.