Misha Pavelick murder trial to reconvene Monday

On Monday morning, the jury is expected to file into their seats at the Court of King’s Bench in Regina for the rest of the Misha Pavelick murder trial.

The man accused of second-degree murder in Pavelick’s death was a youth at the time of the killing in 2006, so he cannot be named.

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Crown lawyer, Adam Breker, rested his case on Tuesday last week, and defence lawyer Andrew Hitchcock chose not to call any evidence. He also didn’t give an opening statement.

A defence isn’t required to call any evidence as it’s the responsibility of the Crown to prove the accused is guilty, not for the accused to prove his innocence.

For the rest of last week, the lawyers and Justice Catherine Dawson worked through business behind the scenes – originally scheduling the jury to come back Thursday afternoon, but it was pushed back.

In the trial, the lawyers still have to give their closing statements and the Justice has to charge the jury with its responsibilities in the case, explaining the details of law and evidence they need to know to consider the case properly.

Only then, will the jury go into deliberations. However, given the holiday on Tuesday, the jury may not deliberate until later in the week.

The case

The accused was arrested in 2023, about 17 years after Pavelick was killed.

Pavelick was at a Miller high school party at Kinookimaw campground, near Regina Beach on the May long weekend.

According to witnesses in court, the accused and a large group of people went out to the campground on that Sunday night.

Fighting ensued between Pavelick and some of those in the group – some witness told court it was one big fight, while others have described it as two separate fights with a break in between.

At some point in the fights Pavelick was stabbed once in the chest. The pathologist who did the autopsy on Pavelick said the stab wound punctured his heart and he would have died within minutes.

In his opening statement, Breker told the jury they wouldn’t hear any of the witnesses say they saw the accused stab Pavelick, but he believed they would be convinced of the accused’s guilt once all he evidence was presented.