The trial for the man accused of gunning down six men in a Quebec City area mosque will begin on March 26, 2018.
There won’t be a preliminary inquiry—the case will go straight to trial, as per Superior Court Judge Raymond W. Pronovost, who set the date Friday.
Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, will face six counts of first-degree murder and six other counts of attempted murder after the shooting that took place on Jan. 29.
The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks. During this time, the Crown may call upon as many as 111 witnesses.
Lawyers for a group of media outlets – including CTV – fought for the release of the details contained in the original search warrant.
The judge allowed the release of information that sheds more light on the alleged shooter and the timeline on the day of the shooting.
But the judge also ordered the media to note that the details included in witness statements have not been proven in court.
Bissonnette is presumed innocent, and he hasn’t had the chance to enter a plea or contest the allegations.
The search warrant includes details from police interviews with Bissonnette’s parents. It reveals his father told police that Bissonnette owned two handguns and one long gun, all registered.
His mother told police he ate with his parents the evening of the shooting, and then went to a shooting range—Les Castor de Charlesbourg, where he was a member.
But the shooting range was closed, and Bissonnette did not contact his mother again that night.
In the search warrant, the shooter is described by witnesses as a white male with dark hair, wearing a tuque, with dark glasses and dark clothing, holding a gun in his right hand.
Witness testimony describes the shooter as calm and collected.
