New Brunswick

Hearing to determine admissibility of evidence for New Brunswick murder trial begins

A hearing was held in court Monday to decide what evidence jurors should hear during an upcoming trial for two people accused of murdering a New Brunswick man in 2022.

Joshua McIsaac, Erica Blyth, accused of first-degree murder of Brandon Donelan

Erica Blyth and Joshua McIsaac are pictured in a two photos that have been stitched together.
Erica Blyth and Joshua McIsaac are jointly accused of first-degree murder in the death of Brandon Donelan, whose body was found by RCMP in a wooded area between Minto and Chipman on March 31, 2022. (Aidan Cox/CBC)

A hearing was held in court Monday to decide what evidence jurors should hear during an upcoming trial for two people accused of murdering a New Brunswick man in 2022.

The hearing, referred to as a voir dire, will determine what evidence will be admissible in the upcoming trial for Joshua McIsaac and Erica Blyth, accused of the  first-degree murder of Brandon Donelan.

Donelan was reported missing on Jan. 30, 2022, and his body was found by RCMP in a wooded area off a snowmobile trail between Minto and Chipman on March 31, 2022.

The two accused appeared in person at the Court of King's Bench in Burton for the hearing, which is scheduled to continue until next week.

A profile photo of a man.
Brandon Donelan's body was found in a wooded area between Chipman and Minto in March of 2022, two months after he was reported missing. (RCMP)

 Any evidence heard during a voir dire is subject to a publication ban until after the trial.

The jury trial for McIsaac and Blyth is scheduled to start in April.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aidan Cox

Journalist

Aidan Cox is a journalist for the CBC based in Fredericton. He can be reached at aidan.cox@cbc.ca and followed on Twitter @Aidan4jrn.