A man accused in a North Okanagan murder case has chosen to waive his right to a preliminary inquiry and head straight to trial.
Jevon Daniel Smith, born in 1975, is charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of Dakota Samoleski in Spallumcheen on Sept. 20, 2021.
A preliminary inquiry was originally set for April 5 and 6 in Vernon to see if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial. However, Smith appeared in Kamloops provincial court on March 23 and requested that no preliminary inquiry be held.
According to Dan McLaughlin, communications counsel with the BC Prosecution Service, Smith will be in court on April 19 to fix dates for pre-trial applications and the ensuing trial, which will be by judge and jury in Supreme Court.
Police were called to a Spallumcheen residence at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 20, 2021 to reports of a possible shooting and a vehicle fleeing the area. A search for the suspect’s vehicle led police to a body in the 4500 block of Back Enderby Road.
Smith was arrested in Armstrong later that day with help from the Southeast District Emergency Response Team.
Samoleski and Smith are believed to have been known to each other.
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