Jury summonses sent to Fredericton residents for marathon 38-day trial

SomeFredericton residents are receiving summonses for potential jury duty in a majortrial set to begin in late September.

The summonses showing up in mailboxes this weekdo not indicate who is on trial, butthey do ask potential jurors to show up at the Grant-Harvey Centre on Sept. 30 for a 38-day trial.

That's the same day the trial of Matthew Vincent Raymond is scheduled to begin.

Raymond, 49, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two Fredericton citypolice officers and two other citizens in August of last year. The trial is expected tolast around eight weeks.

It's unclear exactly how many summonses have been mailed out. Robert Duguay, spokesperson for the Department of Justice, said he can't share any details about jury selection because of a publication ban on the case.

Fredericton shooting

Raymond isaccused of killing Fredericton Police Force constables Robb Costello, 45, and Sara Burns, 43, and civilians Donnie Robichaud, 42, and Bobbie Lee Wright, 32, on Aug.10.

Police have said all four victims were hit by bullets from a long gun fired from the third storey of an apartment building on Brookside Drive on the city's north side.

Raymond has not entered pleas.

He underwent two psychiatric assessments to determine if he is criminally responsible, and the results remain sealed.

The assessments attempt to determine whether an accused, at the time of an alleged offence, suffered from a mental disorder that would exempt them from responsibility.

Raymond was previously deemed fit to stand trial.

The jury summonses, which started showing up in mailboxes this week, carry a "warning."

"Failure to obey this Juror Summons is a contempt of court for which the presiding judge may impose a fine of up to [$1,000] or other penalty," they state.

People who have a reason they feel they cannot serve, however, can apply to the head sheriff to be excused from jury duty prior to the date of the trial.

Jurors in New Brunswickare normally paid $40 per day, but if the trial lasts longer than 10 days, the fee increases to $40 for each half-day and $80 for each full day, starting on Day 10.