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Jury to be chosen to determine fitness of accused in Fredericton murder case

Sep 30, 2019 | 2:05 AM

FREDERICTON — Jury selection begins today to determine if Matthew Raymond — accused of killing four people in a shooting spree in Fredericton in August 2018 — is fit to stand trial.

Justice Fred Ferguson of the Court of Queen’s Bench ruled earlier this month that the threshold to question fitness of the accused had been met.

Fitness means that an accused understands the charges against him and can instruct a lawyer on how he wishes to be defended.

Jury selection is being held in a hockey arena because of the large number of potential jurors.

Raymond is charged with the first-degree murders of Fredericton police constables Sara Burns and Robb Costello and civilians Donnie Robichaud and Bobbie Lee Wright.

Robichaud and Wright were killed in the parking lot outside their apartment building, and the officers were killed when they responded to the shootings.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2019.

The Canadian Press