Slow scheduling of trial for 2010 murder taking its toll
The mother of murder victim Brittney Irving walked out of a Kelowna courtroom Monday, noticeably rattled by the latest round of legal proceedings for her daughter's accused killer.
Joelon Verma was in court via videolink to set a schedule for his upcoming murder trial, but the matter was once again put over to a future date and, afterward, Irving's mother said she was angered by the length of time its taken.
Verma's trial date is expected to be set in stone June 25, which is coincidentally the two year anniversary of his arrest for Irving's murder.
Scheduling Verma's trial is a matter that's been before the courts several times over the last year but repeatedly put off, for reasons including a lack of legal representation. In recent months the Calgary based lawyer who previously represented him had dropped the case.
At his last court date, however, Verma was informed that Crown Counsel intended to propose measures to move the trial ahead whether his legal house was in order or not, as the issue had dragged on too long.
As instructed, Verma appeared in court via videolink Monday, with legal counsel lined up.
Vancouver based lawyer Jordan Watt will be representing Verma going forward.
Watt has had "no meaningful discussions" with Verma regarding the case, as of yet, and requested the matter of settling a trial date be put off for four to six weeks.
He was given June 25, at 10 a.m., however.
Irving was reported missing April 7, 2010 after a drug transaction gone awry. The 24-year-old's body was found a few weeks later.
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