A 12-person jury was selected for the 33-day murder trial of Jevon Smith, in a B.C. Supreme Courtroom in 麻豆精选 on Feb. 26.
Justice Gordon Weatherill, the Crown prosecutor for the case and the defence lawyer representing Smith will be in court throughout the week of Feb. 26, for final pre-trial applications before the jury is brought in on March 4, for the start of the trial.
READ MORE: North Okanagan murder suspect鈥檚 trial to begin Monday
As the case will be tried by both judge and jury, any evidence brought forward during the pre-trial applications will be subject to a publication ban and cannot be reported on.
Prior to jury selection, multiple court dates for voir-dire hearings, which are also subject to a publication ban, were held to determine the admissibility of certain pieces of evidence.
Smith, born in 1975, is facing charges of second-degree murder after Dakota Samoleksi was found dead on Back Enderby Road in Spallumcheen on Sept. 20, 2021.
On the day of Samoleski鈥檚 death, police were called for reports of a possible shooting at a Spallumcheen residence shortly before noon.
Smith was allegedly seen fleeing the scene. The Southeast District Emergency Response Team were called in to assist police.
A search for Smith鈥檚 vehicle allegedly led police to Samoleksi鈥檚 body on Back Enderby Road.
Smith was arrested in Armstrong the same day and later charged with second-degree murder.
Charges of second-degree murder are used when the Crown alleges that the killing was intentional, but not pre-planned.
In April 2022, Smith waived his right to a preliminary inquiry.
The RCMP believe that Samoleski and Smith were known to each other.
