Image Credit: FILE PHOTO
January 04, 2018 - 3:46 PM
KAMLOOPS - After a two-month break, a preliminary inquiry for a Shuswap man facing a second-degree murder charge has resumed.
Raymond Edward Swann, charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of 60-year-old Brian Watson, does not yet know if he'll have to stand trial on the charges.
His preliminary inquiry was adjourned in November. Preliminary hearings are held in order to determine if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.
The hearing was originally adjourned due to an issue raised during testimony, and a hearing on that matter was held today, Jan. 4. A decision was made on the issue and the preliminary inquiry was able to proceed.
The details from these hearings cannot be made public at this point, to ensure a potential jury, if needed, would not be swayed by media coverage before the trial begins.
The preliminary inquiry is expected to wrap up tomorrow in Kamloops Provincial Court, although it's not yet known when Judge Christopher Cleaveley will give his decision on whether or not Swann will stand trial.
The fatal crash near Magna Bay happened in April 2016. Police said at the time that Watson was riding his motorcycle on the Squilax-Anglemont Highway when he was struck from behind by a truck. Swann is accused of being the driver of the truck and fleeing the scene. He allegedly called police from his home in Sorrento shortly afterward.
Swann was originally charged with criminal negligence and leaving the scene of an accident, but the second-degree murder charge wasn't laid until February 2017.
— This story was updated at 12:41 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5, to correct a name error in the second paragraph of this story. Brian Watson's last name was incorrectly spelled as "Wilson".
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