Man accused of Dieppe double murder gets new lawyer, trial dates not set

Shane Magee · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 12:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

A antheral accused of sidesplitting a Dieppe mates successful 2019 has a caller lawyer, a improvement that could impact erstwhile helium stands trial.

Janson Bryan Baker, 28, faces 2 charges of first-degree murder. It's alleged helium killed Bernard Saulnier, 78, and his woman Rose-Marie Saulnier, 74, on Sept. 7, 2019.

Baker appeared Thursday successful Moncton's Court of King's Bench, where Brian Munro officially became his caller defence lawyer. 

The improvement followed a Crown petition earlier this twelvemonth that the justice revisit whether Baker's erstwhile lawyer, Nathan Gorham, was successful a struggle and should beryllium removed from the case. A provincial tribunal justice had ruled past twelvemonth that Gorham wasn't successful a conflict.

A proceeding had been scheduled Wednesday. Justice Cameron Gunn said Thursday that Gorham had asked to retreat from the case.

A work prohibition restricts reporting wherefore the Crown alleged Gorham was successful a conflict.

No proceedings dates yet

It's unclear erstwhile the lawsuit volition spell to trial.

The tribunal has antecedently heard that voir dires, hearings astir admissibility of evidence, could instrumentality 1 period and that the assemblage proceedings could instrumentality 4 months. A justice successful January indicated the proceedings could beryllium scheduled to commencement successful September this year, but that was earlier the struggle contented was raised again.

Munro told Gunn on Thursday that his docket was booked into December 2026.

"My calendar is wholly jammed for the astir part," Munro said. 

The justice said they would woody with scheduling later. The case is scheduled to instrumentality to tribunal May 20.

When the proceedings takes spot matters due to the fact that of a 2016 Supreme Court of Canada decision.

The Jordan determination calls for astir trials successful the Court of King's Bench to beryllium finished wrong 30 months of charges being laid to support an accused's close to beryllium tried successful a tenable time.

The 30-month ceiling successful Baker's case would be March 7, 2026.

The charges against Baker were laid successful 2023 connected the 4th day of the find of the Saulniers' bodies in their Amirault Street home.