Two long trials are coming up in connection with the death of a seven-year-old girl in Granby last spring.
The girl’s father and stepmother both waived their rights to preliminary hearings on Monday. The rest of the proceedings have been scheduled for March 30.
Crown prosecutor Claude Robitaille said he would allow six weeks to present evidence for each trial, not counting the possible addition of defence witnesses.
Most of these witnesses will therefore be called twice, and the Crown will not rule out the possibility of having the suspects testify against each other.
The 30-year-old man and 36-year-old woman briefly appeared in a tiny room filled beyond capacity on Monday. The two accused cannot be identified due to a publication ban.
The woman, detained since her arrest, is accused of second-degree murder and forcible confinement. The father faces charges of negligence causing death, child abandonment and failure to provide the necessities of life. He was released on parole on Sept. 5.
The girl died on April 30, 2019, the day after she was found in troubling circumstances at the family home.