Preliminary hearing set for man charged in Pointe-Sapin homicide

Alphonse Daigle will be back in court in early December for a hearing on a murder charge. (Katelin Belliveau/CBC - image credit)
Alphonse Daigle will be back in court in early December for a hearing on a murder charge. (Katelin Belliveau/CBC - image credit)

A preliminary hearing date was set Friday for Alphonse Daigle, who is accused of killing 52-year-old André Després earlier this year in a Pointe-Sapin residence.

Daigle, 70, was charged with first-degree murder in April after police were dispatched to the scene of a shooting in Pointe-Sapin, a small settlement about 130 kilometres north of Moncton.

In Moncton provincial court Friday, Judge Brigitte Volpé scheduled a preliminary hearing for Dec. 4 to Dec. 6.

At a preliminary hearing, the Crown presents the evidence it has assembled against an accused, and a judge determines whether it's sufficient to send the case to trial.

The hearing dates for Daigle were chosen after two earlier delays. Daigle previously appeared in court on July 16 and Aug. 16.

During those appearances, defence lawyer Daniel Gallant, who appeared as an agent for TJ Burke again on Friday, said the defence needed more time to review the evidence.

Gallant said in court that Daigle will appear in person again in December.