Craig Pope to go on trial for murder
Craig Pope will head to trial for second-degree murder, a provincial court judge ruled Thursday.
After overseeing a six-day preliminary inquiry, Judge Lori Marshall declared there is enough evidence in the case to send it to trial at Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court. Pope has already chosen the case to be heard by judge and jury.
The preliminary inquiry had originally been scheduled for 10 days, but clewed up early. A number of witnesses testified, and supporters of both Pope and of David (Jonathan) Collins, the man he is accused of killing, attended every day.
Evidence presented at a preliminary inquiry is banned from publication in order to protect the integrity of the case and not taint a potential jury.
Pope, 32, is alleged to have fatally stabbed Collins on a St. John’s street last September. Police say they were called to the Alderberry Lane and Mundy Pond Road area around 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 7, 2017 with a report that a man had been stabbed on the street. Collins, 36, was unconscious and rushed to hospital, but later died of his injuries.
Police and some witnesses said the man who stabbed Collins left the area in a taxi.
Pope was arrested a short time later on Elizabeth Avenue.
Police have said the two men knew each other. Pope has been in custody since his arrest that day, having been denied bail after a hearing in Supreme Court a month ago.