Judge to decide on bail for accused murderer next week

A Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court judge will decide next week whether or not to release accused murderer Craig Pope from custody.

Pope, 32, has been behind bars since he was charged with the second-degree murder of 36-year-old Jonathan Collins in St. John’s last September, and is hoping to be released on bail.

Crown prosecutors Jude Hall and Shawn Patten and Pope’s lawyers, Randy Piercey and Jon Noonan, argued their cases before Justice Vikas Khaladkar over two days this week. As with all bail hearings, the evidence presented is banned from publication so it doesn’t affect a potential jury trial.

Pope has already chosen to have his trial heard before a judge and jury. A preliminary inquiry into the case will begin at the end of May to determine if there is enough evidence for a trial.

Collins died after being stabbed Sept. 7, 2017 in the area of Alderberry Lane and Mundy Pond Road. Police were called to the location around 3:30 p.m. that day, with a report that a man had been stabbed on the street. Collins was found unconscious and was rushed to hospital, where he later died of his injuries. Police believe he had been stabbed with a knife, though they have not said whether or not the weapon was recovered.

Police and witnesses said the man who stabbed him fled in a taxi. Pope was arrested a short time later on Elizabeth Avenue.

Pope and Collins knew each other, and police don’t believe the stabbing was random. Court documents indicate Pope lived on Alderberry Lane at the time.