Loretta Saunders murder trial jury selection complete
14 jury members selected, including 10 men and 4 women
Jury selection was completed Tuesday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court for the first-degree murder trial of the two people accused of killing Saint Mary's University student Loretta Saunders.
The 26-year-old Inuk woman disappeared just before Valentine's Day in 2014. Her body was discovered in the median of the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Salisbury, N.B., a couple of weeks later.
Blake Leggette and Victoria Henneberry were subsequently charged in her death. Police believe Saunders was killed in the Halifax apartment she shared with Leggette and Henneberry.
Jury selection began in Halifax on Monday and five people were chosen. Work to select more members continued Tuesday with the remaining nine people chosen.
In the end, 10 men and four women were chosen and the rest of the jury pool was dismissed.
Crown prosecutor Sean McCarroll said the selection took more time than anticipated.
"It was a lengthy process. We were expecting it to be lengthy," he said. "Two days was more than I expected, but that's what it took and we're happy with the outcome."
Outside the courtroom, Saunders's mother Miriam fled to the washroom at one point, sobbing loudly enough to be heard across the building.
She then emerged to speak to reporters, asking for support.
"I ask you people to please come out and support to get the justice for my daughter," she said. "I want justice for my daughter, and the only way we're going to get it is by your help, to get help to get justice for my daughter."
Four weeks have been set aside for the trial.