The Chronicle Herald (Metro)

Dartmouth murder trial adjourned at last minute

- STEVE BRUCE sbruce@herald.ca @Steve_courts

A jury trial for a Truro man accused of murdering an elderly Dartmouth woman more than two years ago did not get underway Monday after his lawyers were granted a last-minute adjournmen­t in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

Richard George Willis, 64, is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Eleanor Noreen Harding, 85, who was found dead in her home on Lynwood Drive on July 11, 2020.

Details about Monday’s adjournmen­t request by defence lawyers Godfred Chongatera and Laura Mccarthy cannot be reported because of a standard publicatio­n ban on applicatio­ns heard outside the presence of the jury.

Justice Denise Boudreau ordered Willis to appear in Supreme Court Crownside on Thursday to get new dates for his trial, which had been set for six weeks.

Lawyers now believe a four-week block will be sufficient for the hearing.

Following an autopsy, Harding’s death was ruled a homicide. The Crown alleges she was killed July 10, 2020.

Willis was arrested in Dartmouth on July 30, 2020. He was initially accused of firstdegre­e murder, but prosecutor­s downgraded the charge to second-degree murder this summer.

More than 150 people summonsed for jury duty attended the Mellor Avenue courthouse in Dartmouth on Monday. They were kept waiting while the judge dealt with the adjournmen­t applicatio­n.

Afterward, Boudreau thanked everyone in the jury pool for their attendance and their patience before releasing them from their obligation.

“The court is well aware that attending for jury duty has some elements of inconvenie­nce to it,” the judge told the group. “But let me assure me that your presence is invaluable.

“The trial for which you have been summonsed is not going to be proceeding this morning. That is a decision that was just made moments ago, and as a result of that, your presence here today is no longer required.”

Harding’s son and daughter-in-law were in court for the proceeding.

Crown attorneys Rob Kennedy and Scott Morrison did not wish to comment on the adjournmen­t because of the publicatio­n ban.

 ?? FILE ?? Police, including forensic identifica­tion officers, are shown at a home on Lynwood Drive in Dartmouth on July 12, 2020. The body of Eleanor Noreen Harding, 85, was found in the house the day before.
FILE Police, including forensic identifica­tion officers, are shown at a home on Lynwood Drive in Dartmouth on July 12, 2020. The body of Eleanor Noreen Harding, 85, was found in the house the day before.

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