Kings County man charged with attempted murder to be released from jail
Owen Daniel MacDonald has been in jail for over a month but could be released as early as Friday
The case against a Kings Country man accused of attempted murder has been adjourned for a month, but the Crown and defence say they've reached an agreement to release him from jail in the meantime.
Owen Daniel MacDonald appeared in provincial court in Georgetown by video link Thursday afternoon from the Provincial Correctional Centre, where he has been since December.
It was his second appearance in court since he was arrested after allegedly attempting to kill a person who RCMP say was known to him. He's also been charged with aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm and two counts of dangerous driving.
None of the allegations against MacDonald have been proven in court. MacDonald has also not elected which court will hear his case or entered any pleas.
But on Thursday, the prosecution and legal aid told Judge Nancy Orr their intention is to let MacDonald out of jail in the meantime, with conditions like wearing an electronic monitoring device and avoiding all contact of any kind with the victim.
Those conditions will be finalized on Friday afternoon in Charlottetown before a justice of the peace, then MacDonald will be back in court in Georgetown on Feb. 27.
Uncommon charge
RCMP say attempted murder is not a frequently laid charge on P.E.I., but it's even more rare to be convicted in court.
Police lay charges based on their investigation and then the Crown's office will decide which charges will be prosecuted based on the evidence and testimony collected.
If the attempted murder charge moves forward, the Crown will have to prove that not only was MacDonald violent with the victim, but his intention was to kill them.
Recently, attempted murder charges against Andrew Blaisdell, who pleaded guilty to assault in a case connected to a 2023 Amber Alert, were not pursued by the Crown's office.
The man charged in a Summerside weapons incident last year also had his attempted murder charge stayed by the Crown.
And in a more rare circumstance, the alledged attacker of two Stratford seniors died before he could answer to attempted murder charges against him.
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