Trial begins in 1978 slaying of 12-year-old girl
A man accused of the 1978 slaying of a 12-year-old girl pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a charge of first-degree murder.
The plea of Garry Taylor Handlen in the murder of Monica Rose Jack came just before jury selection began for his trial in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
“Not guilty,” the accused said in a weak voice as he stood in the prisoner’s dock.
Several hundred people assembled at the Vancouver Law Courts were told that there was a need for a process called a challenge for cause, in which prospective jurors face several questions, because of the realistic possibility of bias against the accused as a result of pre-trial publicity. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Austin Cullen told the jury panel that in deciding whether or not the Crown has proved the charge against Handlen beyond a reasonable doubt, jurors must judge the evidence without bias, prejudice or partiality.
“In this case, the Crown alleges that Mr. Handlen committed the first-degree murder of Monica Rose Jack on or about May 6, 1978,” said the judge. “When the charge was laid against Mr. Handlen, there was some significant publicity about the circumstances. The pre-trial publicity raises the issue of whether prospective jurors have heard details of the case and whether their ability to decide impartially has been affected.”
Cullen told the panel that normally 12 jurors are selected for a criminal trial, but in Handlen’s case he decided that 14 jurors were needed, with two alternates.
“This is to ensure that a complete jury is available at the end of the trial to deliberate.”
Although 14 jurors were being chosen, the law allows only 12 to deliberate, so the jury will be reduced to 12 before deliberations begin by drawing numbers at random, Cullen added.
“It is of paramount importance to the defendant and to the Crown that persons who serve on a jury be impartial and be able to give their full attention to the task.”
Prospective jurors were asked if they had read or heard details about the case in the media, with a number of them indicating they had not heard anything.
By mid-afternoon on Tuesday, four jurors had been selected. The jury selection could continue into today.
The trial is expected to open Oct. 22 and run for about 10 weeks, possibly past Christmas into the new year.
Handlen, who has been in custody since his arrest, was charged in December 2014. He was 67 at the time.
Monica Jack vanished while riding her bicycle near her Merrittarea home. Her remains were not found for 17 years.