'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
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he does not regret calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko,' and now his MPs are renewing calls for the House of Commons Speaker to resign, this time over ordering the Official Opposition leader to leave the chamber.
Is it cold, flu or norovirus? Symptoms explained
The highly contagious norovirus is spreading across Canada, with some symptoms overlapping with other viruses. CTVNews.ca spoke with a health expert to find out how you can tell you have norovirus, the most common form of stomach flu, and what to do if you have it.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
Ontario's police watchdog continues probe of high-speed pursuit involving fatal crash
The investigation continues into a collision that killed two grandparents and their infant grandchild during a high-speed police chase on the wrong way of Highway 401 east of Toronto.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Search continues for 'armed man' in Dartmouth, N.S.
Police say they continue to search for an armed man who allegedly threatened people in Dartmouth, N.S.
Swarm of bees delays Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles game in Arizona. An 'MVP' beekeeper came to the rescue
Major League Baseball fans had an unexpected buzz on Tuesday after a swarm of bees delayed the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game for around two hours.
Newfoundland fisherman says police broke his leg during protest that delayed budget
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.