Dieppe double murder trial expected to last 4 months, judge says
Shane Magee | CBC News | Posted: January 6, 2025 7:44 PM | Last Updated: January 6
Janson Baker accused of killing Bernard Saulnier and Rose-Marie Saulnier in 2019
The trial of a Moncton man accused of killing an elderly Dieppe couple in 2019 could last four months, a judge said Monday.
Janson Bryan Baker, 28, faces two charges of first-degree murder. It's alleged he killed Bernard Saulnier, 78, and his wife Rose-Marie Saulnier, 74, on Sept. 7, 2019.
Baker appeared in Moncton's Court of King's Bench for the first time on the charges on Monday. That appearance is often when trial dates are set, with Crown and defence lawyers discussing in advance which dates work for both sides.
However, Justice Robert Dysart said the lawyers hadn't proposed dates yet because of the amount of time sought for the trial.
Court ready for trial in September
Dysart said the voir dires in the case, hearings to determine whether evidence is admissible, are expected to last four weeks, while the trial itself is expected to last four months.
Dysart noted the court is ready to start the trial after Labour Day so it could conclude by the end of the year.
Defence lawyer Adrian Forsythe, appearing on behalf of Nathan Gorham, requested another appearance to coordinate dates. Dysart set that hearing for Jan. 27 by phone.
Dysart said the judge who will preside over that hearing, Justice Cameron Gunn, wants to know ahead of time when the lawyers aren't available, why, and details like case file numbers should other cases need to be moved.
"In the event that this court has to flex its muscle a little bit to take jurisdiction, then that may have to be the case," Dysart said.
Dysart on Monday referenced the Jordan decision, a 2016 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that set timelines for cases to be heard.
In the Court of King's Bench, the Jordan decision calls for most trials to be complete within 30 months of charges being laid to protect an accused's right to be tried in a reasonable time. Exceeding the timeframe could result in charges being dropped.
The 30 month ceiling in Baker's case would be March 7, 2026.
The charges against Baker were laid in 2023 on the fourth anniversary of the discovery of the Saulniers' bodies in their Amirault Street home.
There were delays in provincial court over whether Baker could be represented by Gorham.
The Crown alleged his law firm was potentially in a conflict of interest. A judge rejected that last summer. The reasons cannot be reported because of a publication ban.
After that was dealt with, a preliminary inquiry was held in December before the case moved to the Court of King's Bench.