Jury chosen for trial of pair accused of killing Tim Bosma
Proceeding expected to last four months; 14 jurors selected
The next time Dellen Millard and Mark Smich return to the John Sopinka Courthouse, it will be for the start of their murder trial.
The final three jurors — 14 in all, plus two alternates — were sworn in Monday, completing the jury selected to determine their fate in the Tim Bosma murder case.
Millard, 30, and Smich, 28, are accused of the first-degree murder of Bosma.
The Ancaster dad was killed in May 2013 after taking two men out for a test drive in a pickup truck he was selling online.
His remains were found in Waterloo Region after a few days. Police said at the time his body was “burned beyond recognition.”
Friends and family of Bosma were in court again Monday, along with Hamilton police Det. Sgt. Matt Kavanagh, who led the investigation.
Millard and Smich were present, as they were for each day of the jury selection.
The j ury was chosen by their lawyers (Ravin Pillay for Millard and Thomas Dungey for Smich) and the Crown — a team of three, led by assistant Crown attorney Tony Leitch.
It is made up of seven men and seven women.
The extra people (a standard jury is made up of 12 people) are due to the length of the trial, there to ensure there are backups in case of any emergency over the course of the four months the trial is expected to sit. If they are all still sitting at the end, only 12 will deliberate a verdict.
On top of the 14, another man and woman were selected as alternates. Their role is to serve if a juror drops out before the trial begins, otherwise they are typically dismissed just before the trial gets underway.
The questions that were put to prospective jurors — to assess their view of the case and any bias they might have — are still covered under a publication ban. That will be lifted, Justice Andrew Goodman reiterated Monday, only when the trial begins and they are certain no more jurors need to be chosen.
With a jury pool of 1,800 people, there are still outstanding panels scheduled to be called in if need be.
Otherwise, the trial will begin as scheduled on Monday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m.
With one week to go, courthouse staff were busy Monday with final preparations to accommodate the surge in publicity the first days of the trial are expected to bring. The trial will be held in the biggest courtroom available and a video feed has been set up in an overflow room should it fill up.