Trent Butt to stand trial on murder, arson charges, preliminary inquiry rules

Trent Butt of Carbonear, the man accused of killing his young daughter and then setting his home ablaze last year,will stand trial on first-degree murder and arson charges, a preliminary inquiry at provincial court in Harbour Grace has ruled.

• Preliminary inquiry begins for Trent Butt, accused of killing daughter

Judge Bruce Short handed down his ruling Monday.

It means Butt's case will now be moved to Supreme Court, though it could be as much as a year before atrial gets underway.

• Parents who kill their children: Why would someone do the unthinkable?

The inquiry, meanwhile,began on Jan. 12 and included 11 hours of proceedings, the details of which cannot be reported.

Trent Spencer Butt, 38, has been in custody for nine months.

Heis accused of killing his five-year-old daughter Quinn during the early hours of April 24, 2016 and then setting his Hayden Heights home on fire.

The case has been followed closely by those who advocate against domestic violence, and there's been an outpouring of support for Quinn's mother and her family.

A large crowd gathered inside and outside the courtroom in Harbour Grace Monday as Butt made his latest appearance, with many sporting purple one of Quinn's favourite colours in her memory.