Suspect in decades-old murder to stand trial in March of 2025
The suspect in the murder of a Calgary teen nearly a half-century ago will stand trial a year from now.
Articling student Mackenzie Mccaffrey appeared in Calgary Court of King's Bench on Friday on behalf of defence counsel Pawel Milczarek to set a three-week trial for Ronald James Edwards, to begin on March 3, 2025.
The jury to hear the trial will be selected Feb. 27.
Crown prosecutor Jim Sawa indicated he expects the defence may apply for a challenge for cause hearing, where prospective jurors may be questioned about any preconceived notions in the case.
Those applications have in the past been held on the Wednesday before the start of trial, but Justice David Labrenz said such a hearing could be conducted during regular jury selections on the Thursday before the trial.
Edwards, 74, is charged with non-capital murder in connection with the Jan. 9, 1976, death of Pauline Brazeau, who was last seen leaving Peppe's Ristorante near 7th Street and 17th Avenue S.W. in Calgary.
Her semi-nude body was found five hours later near a logging road 40 kilometres southwest of Cochrane near the Jumping Pound Airstrip.
Brazeau, 16, had recently moved to Calgary from Saskatchewan.
The Métis woman was a single mother who was known to be a frequent hitchhiker.
It was determined she had had sexual intercourse before her death, but it was uncertain whether she had been sexually assaulted.
Edwards was charged last November, and police said they used a DNA technology known as Investigative Genetic Genealogy to help them make an arrest in the cold-case homicide.
At the time of Brazeau's death there were two categories of murder in the Criminal Code, non-capital murder and capital murder, the latter of which has since been phased out.
In January, Milczarek waived his client's right to a preliminary inquiry and asked that the case go directly to trial.
Edwards, who remains in custody, did not appear in court on Friday.