Cheryl Wierda
The three men accused of killing Michael Bonin in 2017 will head straight to trial without a preliminary hearing.
“Late Friday afternoon, I received confirmation that the deputy attorney general has signed a consent for direct indictment,” said Crown counsel Colin Forsyth in court Monday.
That means Joshua Fleurant, Jared Jorgenson and Ryan Watt will go to trial without a preliminary hearing, which is typically held to determine if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.
READ ALSO: B.C. MEN CHARGED IN BONIN’S MURDER APPEAR IN COURT
The three men are charged with first degree murder in the death of Bonin, a 20-year-old from Alberta.
His body was found by a passerby on Peers Creek Forest Service Road north of Hope the morning of April 20, 2017.
After a months-long investigation, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced in January the arrest of Fleurant, then 20, Jorgenson, 27, and Watt, 26.
“All the parties involved knew each other to varying degrees,” IHIT Cpl. Frank Jang said at the time.
Police have not released a motive for the killing.
Jorgenson, of Dawson Creek, was granted bail in June, while Fleurant and Watt remain in custody.
The case returns to court Nov. 5.
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