Decision on murder case preliminary hearing in January
A judge will rule early next month whether there is enough evidence for two men among the six coaccused in the November 2016 beating death of Stewart Street resident Terry Pringle to stand trial in Superior Court of Justice.
A preliminary hearing that began late last month wrapped up Thursday afternoon in Peterborough Ontario Court of Justice. The proceeding moved to Lindsay on Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to the city.
Justice Robert Beninger will reveal his decision Jan. 12 in Courtroom 1 at the Simcoe Street courthouse, where the hearing – best described as a “trial before a trial” – took place from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, Dec. 6 and Monday.
Jordan Osborne, 25, of Aylmer Street, faces a first-degree murder charge while both he and Joseph Crawford, 29, of Dalhousie Street, face charges of conspiracy to commit in indictable offence and accessory to murder.
Numerous witnesses have taken the stand, but a standard publication ban prohibits publishing any evidence, including information that could identify them.
Both men are being represented by Toronto-based lawyers – Osborne by Magdalena Wyszomierska of Derstine Penman and Crawford by Raymond Wong. The matter is being prosecuted by assistant Crown attorney’s Lisa Wannamaker and Kelly Eberhard.
Pringle, 42, a father of three, was found dead of blunt force trauma in his apartment just before 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 26, 2016. Six people, including a pair of boys, then aged 16 and 15, were charged three days later.
The case received plenty of media attention last month as half of those originally charged were sentenced after pleading guilty to lesser charges for their roles in the killing.
On Nov. 22, Christopher Bolton, 30, of Bethune Street was sentenced to spend another 9 1/2 months in jail for conspiracy to commit assault causing bodily harm.
On Nov. 20, a 17-year-old was sentenced to another eight months in jail and then four months supervised in the community for manslaughter. He was supposed to record the beating on his cellphone to prove it happened to the woman who admitted she arranged it.
On Nov. 14, 26-year-old Samantha Hall of Stewart Street was sentenced to about 11 more months in jail for conspiracy to commit an indictable offence causing bodily harm.
Court heard she arranged the beating over allegations that Pringle said she was dealing drugs and planned to pay the attackers with cocaine.
Another youth, a 16-year-old boy who faces charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, formally re-elected to face a judge-alone trial in Peterborough Ontario Court of Justice scheduled for seven days, starting Jan. 15.
In victim impact statements heard during proceedings, Pringle has been described by his parents as loving, caring and giving and “not just a name on a piece of paper.”
His mother Bev Kingston, who is battling breast and lung cancer, and husband Ralph – Pringle’s stepfather – have attended nearly all court appearances.
A publication ban ordered by Madam Justice Esther Rosenberg bars media from reporting on the specifics of Pringle’s death while co-accused remain before the courts.