In less than a week one of the most high-profile trials in Saskatchewan history will begin in Battleford, but only after the jury is selected.
According to court officials, the jury pool for Gerald Stanley’s second-degree murder trial consists of approximately 750 people from North Battleford and the surrounding area.
This phase of the trial is set to take place at another venue, the Alex Dillabough Centre, as opposed to the courthouse because it can accommodate more people.
Authorities said this isn’t the largest pool drafted for jury duty or anything out of the norm. In late December, there were 2,000 people summoned to court for a separate trial.
Jury selection is expected to be complete by day’s end on Monday, with hundreds of potential jurors narrowed down to 12, plus two alternates, but that number will ultimately be up to the judge.
Stanley’s trial is expected to run as long as three weeks and he has pleaded not guilty in the death of 22-year-old Colten Boushie.
Boushie, an Indigenous man from the Red Pheasant First Nation, was in a vehicle that drove onto Stanley’s farm in August 2016.
An altercation followed and Boushie was shot and killed.
Boushie’s family has accused the RCMP of mistreatment the night they were informed of his death. An RCMP internal investigation cleared officers of wrongdoing.
Citing broken trust, Boushie’s family has also petitioned for an out-of-province Crown prosecutor and a lead investigator from outside Saskatchewan to take over the case.
The trial is scheduled to take place at Battleford Court of Queen’s Bench.
Martel Popescul, who was named chief justice of Saskatchewan’s Court of Queen’s Bench, will preside over the trial.