Charges against one of the nine accused in the murder and disappearance of Megan Gallagher have been stayed.
According to the courts, charges against Thomas Sutherland were stayed this week and no reason was provided.
A stayed charge means the prosecution is no longer continuing criminal proceedings, but the case can be brought back within a year if new evidence emerges.
Sutherland’s trial was set to start next month.
Only one trial remains for those charged with Gallagher’s death.
Sutherland was the seventh person charged in relation to Gallagher’s murder.
He was facing charges of aggravated assault and unlawful confinement.
Sutherland was arrested on Sept. 27, 2022 at a correctional facility where he was serving an unrelated sentence.
Gallagher went missing in September of 2020 and her remains were not found until a search of the South Saskatchewan River more than two years later.
Her remains were found on Sept. 29, 2022 near the community of St. Louis, Sask.
On Sept. 27, Saskatoon police arrested and charged 42-year-old Thomas Sutherland with the unlawful confinement and aggravated assault of Gallagher.