Preliminary inquiry into murder of Roxanne Louie adjourned | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Preliminary inquiry into murder of Roxanne Louie adjourned

First Nation members gathered outside the Penticton courthouse, Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, while inside the preliminary inquiry into the murder of Roxanne Louie continued.

PENTICTON - The preliminary inquiry into the murder of Roxanne Louie will continue, but at a later date.

The hearing was expected to wrap up today, Feb. 19, but defence lawyer Don Skogstad requested additional time to respond to comments made by Crown prosecutor Iain Currie.

After calling a recess to consider Skogstad’s request this afternoon, Judge Meg Shaw reconvened to say it was not her first choice to have an adjournment in the matter, but agreed to one as long as court could reconvene “in a reasonable time frame.” Difficulties in scheduling courtroom time in Penticton resulted in the hearing being adjourned until March 10.

Shaw said she did not want to see the case moved to another jurisdiction because she was aware many members of the community wished to be present for the proceedings.

Members of the Okanagan First Nation were out in large numbers throughout the day, filling the courtroom and rallying outside the courthouse drawing attention to the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women.

Court security was tightened as sheriffs screened gallery members through a metal detector prior to being allowed in the courtroom.

Grace Robotti, 67, and her brother Pier Robotti, 63, are co-accused in the murder of Roxanne Louie, whose body was found on a logging road east of Naramata in January 2015.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

News from © iNFOnews, 2016
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