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Murder suspect facing sexual assault trial

William Victor Schneider is accused of murdering a Vancouver woman, and sexually assaulting a woman in Vernon
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The body of Natsumi Kogawa, 30, was found in the Gabriola Mansion on Davie Street in September 2016. She was seen walking with murder suspect William Schneider the day she disappeared. Schneider is in custody and also a suspect in a Vernon sexual assault case which is heading to trial. (Vancouver Police Department photo)

A sexual assault case in Vernon involving a Vancouver homicide suspect is going to trial.

Court records indicate William Victor Schneider, born in 1967, will start trial on a sexual assault charge on Sept. 21. Records had earlier indicated Schneider intended to plead guilty to the charge.

Schneider is in custody and was slated to make a court appearance Tuesday in Vancouver in connection with the death of Natsumi Kogawa, 30, in Vancouver on Sept. 8, 2016. Schneider is charged with murder and interference with a dead body.

Kogawa had been reported missing on Sept. 12 after having last been seen in Burnaby Sept. 8. Video footage surfaced showing Kogawa walking with Schneider the day she disappeared. Her body was discovered on the grounds of a Davie Street property Sept. 28.

That same day, Schneider was arrested and charged in Vernon with the sexual assault of a woman.