Man accused of Sudbury murder hospitalized with COVID-19 after jail outbreak
The man who is accused of Renee Sweeney's 1998 murder in Sudbury has been hospitalized due to COVID-19, his new lawyer says.
Robert Steven Wright has been at the Sudbury jail since his arrest in December 2018.
A COVID-19 outbreak was declared at the facility on Oct. 15 prompting the jail to shut down and prisoners to be transferred. At last count 59 cases were connected to the jail outbreak.
Michael Lacy told Justice Patricia Hennessy in an assignment court Zoom call that Wright was not in attendance Tuesday morning because he has been hospitalized in Toronto with the disease.
Lacy became Wright's counsel less than a month ago when Berk Keaney stepped aside citing a conflict of interest.
Crown Attorney Kevin Ludgate and Lacy told the court they have agreed upon tentative dates for the case next year.
The murder trial by jury is tentatively scheduled to begin Sept. 12, 2022.
None of the allegations has been proven in court.
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