Arraignment set in murder case
Paul Connolly could go to trial for the murder of Steven Miller
The fourth man to have his day in court in connection with the murder of Steven Miller will be arraigned in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador Sept. 11.
The fourth man to have his day in court in connection with the murder of Steven Miller will be arraigned in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador Sept. 11.
Paul Connolly, 36, waived his right to a preliminary hearing when he appeared in provincial court Monday afternoon.
More than two weeks had been set aside for the hearing, which was postponed last week in favour of discussions outside the courtroom.
Connolly has been charged with first-degree murder, robbery, forcible confinement, arson and eight counts of breaching previous court orders in connection with the death of Miller, 25.
He’ll enter pleas on those charges when he’s arraigned and a date will likely be set for his jury trial. Lawyers Jeff Brace and Mark Gruchy are representing Connolly.
Connolly’s name was on the court docket twice Monday: he’s charged with assaulting a man last New Year’s Day while in custody in an unrelated incident. That charge has been set over until Sept. 15 to be dealt with by way of speedy disposition, meaning Connolly is likely to plead guilty.
Connolly was one of four men charged in relation to Miller’s death.
Twenty-one-year-old Kyle Morgan pleaded guilty to being an accessory after manslaughter, and was sentenced to a year in prison.
Chesley Lucas, 24, and Calvin Kenny, 27 pleaded guilty to manslaughter, forcible confinement, robbery and arson.
The Crown and defence lawyers have presented the court with a joint submission on sentencing, suggesting Lucas and Kenny each get sevenand-a-half years in jail. They’ll be sentenced Sept. 7.
Because Connolly could still go to trial before a jury, there’s a publication ban on the evidence and information used to convict Morgan, Lucas and Kenny.
Miller was reportedly kidnapped from his Seal Cove, C.B.S. ,home in the early morning hours of July 30, 2016 by three armed and masked men.
His body was found in a driveway in a Kelligrews subdivision hours later.