The defence team for the man accused in the Sept. 7 murder of 22-year-old Taylor Marshall and a brutal boardwalk assault on the same date appeared in court on Thursday to set a date for a next appearance.
The accused, Steven Jones, did not appear in video remand court on Thursday, but was represented in the Ontario Court of Justice by Rebecca Silver, a lawyer for Toronto-based Furgiuele Law.
Silver told Justice of the Peace Jill Morris that defence has been in communication with the Crown and the trial coordinator and a judicial pre-trial (JPT) date has been set for Feb. 1.
A return date to video remand court was set for Feb. 15 at 1:30 p.m., two weeks after the JPT.
A JPT is generally held behind closed doors and includes a judge, defence and the Crown. If the case continues after the JPT, a date for trial will likely be set.
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.
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, Insp. Brent Duguay of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service told media that police 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.