Renee Sweeney murder trial rescheduled to next year, here is why
After being in jail for more than three years, the man accused of the brutal murder of a Sudbury woman in 1998 will stand trial next year.
Renee Sweeney was a 23-year-old student at Laurentian University who worked as a part-time clerk at Adults Only Video. She was stabbed to death while working at the store sometime between 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 27, 1998. (File)
The trial for the man accused of killing Renee Sweeney, Robert Steven Wright, was originally scheduled for May 2021 but was postponed to that fall due to the pandemic. Two weeks before his trial was to begin in October 2021, Wright's lawyer, Berk Keaney, declared a conflict of interest, leading him to hire Michael Lacy as his new lead counsel.
For Lacy to get up to speed on the case, the trial was tentatively postponed again until September 2022.
Lacy confirmed to CTV News in an email the trial is now scheduled to begin Feb. 21, 2023, just after the 25th anniversary of Sweeney's murder.
The new adjournment is due to Lacy's availability, as the court heard he is scheduled to represent someone else in another matter elsewhere.
Robert Steven Wright was arrested in December 2018 while he was at work in North Bay and has been in jail ever since after being denied bail several times.
The original charge of first-degree murder was changed to second-degree murder in August 2019.
Wright was an 18-year-old high school senior when 23-year-old Sweeney was brutally stabbed to death at Adults Only Video on Paris Street, where she worked as a clerk.
Robert Steven WrightDue to a publication ban, CTV News is not able to report any of the details of the case.
Robert Steven Wright was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the murder of Renee Sweeney
The trial has not yet begun and none of the charges has been proven in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.