A trial for two men accused of a double homicide near Cranbrook a decade ago, in a horrific case of mistaken identity, began on Monday, Oct. 5, in Vancouver Supreme Court.
Colin Correia and Sheldon Hunter are both charged with first-degree murder for their alleged role in the deaths of an innocent couple at a rural home outside Cranbrook in 2010.
The trial, which includes a number of publication bans in order to protect witness identities and evidence material, is scheduled for 70 days in front of Justice Arne Silverman.
Correia and Hunter were arrested two years ago separately in Alberta, following a police investigation spanning years into the deaths of Leanne MacFarlane, 43 and Jeffrey Taylor, 42.
Ten years ago, RCMP were called to a shooting at a rural residence off Highway 3/93 on May 29, 2010.
A woman was found deceased at the scene, while a man in critical condition later died of his injuries. There were early indications that it was a targeted incident; however, the victims were not the intended targets, according to RCMP.
Over the years, investigators and agencies within and outside the RCMP tracked down leads, which led to developments allowing for the identification of suspects and an evidence package that was approved for charges by the B.C. Prosecution Service.
Charges were announced by police on June 11, 2018.
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