A preliminary inquiry will be set for the Penticton man accused of shooting and killing four people in April.
John Brittain is charged with the murder of four of his ex-wife’s neighbours and was represented in Penticton court on Wednesday by his lawyer Paul McMurray.
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Rudi Winter, 71, was found fatally shot in a yard on Lakeview Street. Those living in the neighbourhood said he was seen trimming the hedges at residence on that street, close to where Brittain was living, prior to the shooting. Soon after, another woman (Darlene Knippelberg and a couple (Barry and Susan Wonch), all in their 60s and 70s, were shot in the residential neighbourhood of Cornwall Drive — the same street that Winter and Brittain’s wife lived on.
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Penticton RCMP previously said the shooting incidents happened over the course of about an hour and that Brittain turned himself into the detachment after they occurred.
McMurray and Crown counsel Colin Forsyth agreed that it would take five days to hold a preliminary inquiry where nine witnesses will be called. The inquiry is held to determine whether the Crown has sufficient evidence to warrant committing the accused to trial.
A ban has been imposed restricting publication of evidence taken at the preliminary inquiry.
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Crown and defence will reconvene on Aug. 21 with the Judicial Case Manager to set a date for the preliminary inquiry.
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