This file photo provided by the Montreal Police Service shows Luka Rocco Magnotta. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Montreal Police Service
January 09, 2013 - 1:00 AM
MONTREAL - The court case of Luka Rocco Magnotta, who is charged in the slaying and dismemberment of a Chinese engineering student, resumes today.
Crown and defence lawyers will be in a Montreal courtroom this afternoon to iron out the details of Magnotta's preliminary hearing, which is scheduled to begin March 11.
Magnotta faces several charges, including first-degree murder in the slaying of Concordia University student Jun Lin last May.
The other charges are: committing an indignity to a body; publishing obscene material; criminally harassing Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other members of Parliament; and mailing obscene and indecent material.
The 30-year-old Ontario native has pleaded not guilty and has chosen trial by judge and jury.
Magnotta surprised many by appearing in person in a courtroom last June but it's not clear if he'll be present today.
His previous appearances have created a circus-like atmosphere at the Montreal courthouse.
Magnotta became the subject of an international manhunt after parts of Lin's body began turning up across the country.
He is accused of mailing body parts to different places including the Ottawa offices of the Conservative Party of Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada and two Vancouver schools.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013