'It’s a relief': Three Scarborough suspects ordered to stand trial for death of Essex woman
Juliana Pannunzio, 20, was killed on January 19, 2021 at a house party in Fort Erie, Ont.
18 year-old Christina Crooks of Toronto was also killed.
A judge ruled Wednesday that a trial will proceed against the three people charged in the death of both women.
Christopher Lucas was ordered to stand trial for two counts of first-degree murder.
Two counts of first-degree murder against Trevor Barnett were “discharged” by the judge but she then ordered he be tried for two counts of accessory after the fact.
The two charges of accessory after the fact already laid against the third suspect, Heidi Bahler, will stand.
A standard publication ban on preliminary hearings prevents the media from reporting any evidence heard in court and the judges’ reasons for committal.
None of the allegations against the three accused have been proven in court.Juliana Pannunzio, 20, of Windsor. (Courtesy GoFundMe)
“It's a relief but then it brings on a whole new set of worries,” says Lisa Mulcaster, one of Pannunzio’s mothers.
“I’m at peace with it,” Shellie Pannunzio, Juliana’s other mom told CTV News Wednesday. “Is it 100 per cent what we wanted? No, but, you know, we're gonna move in the right direction. I have to have faith in that.”
Mulcaster and Pannunzio have attended every court date - sometimes in person or through a virtual courtroom - during the preliminary hearing held intermittently over the last six months in a courtroom in Welland, Ont.
“You know, this is emotionally draining on us,” Pannunzio said. “Every time we go up there and we come back and we try to you know, put our lives back together, get our families back in order get into a routine and then we have to get ourselves prepared to go back up.”
“It's just never-ending because every time we go to court, there's new pieces of information. And so you have to put that into what you have already,” Mulcaster adds.
The case has been adjourned to April 22 when a date for a trial will be set.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
McGill says pro-Palestinian protest outside senior administrator's home 'crosses the line'
McGill University has denounced a pro-Palestinian protest held Sunday outside the home of one of its senior administrators.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
Red Lobster probes 'endless shrimp' losses after bankruptcy filing
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.
Judge cites error, will reopen sentencing hearing for man who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband
A federal judge will reopen the sentencing hearing for the man who broke into Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer after the judge failed to allow him to speak during his court appearance last week.
Is that 'Her'? OpenAI pauses a ChatGPT voice after some say it sounds like Scarlett Johansson
OpenAI says it plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices after some users said it sounded like Scarlett Johansson, who famously voiced a fictional, and at the time futuristic, AI assistant in the 2013 film 'Her.'
U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal from former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Microsoft's AI chatbot will 'recall' everything you do on a PC
Microsoft wants laptop users to get so comfortable with its artificial intelligence chatbot that it will remember everything you're doing on your computer and help figure out what you want to do next.