Blake Schreiner murder trial takes unscheduled break until November

The Blake Schreiner murder trialis taking an unexpected break until Nov. 9.

The 39-year-old Saskatoon man is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his partner, Tammy Brown. She diedJan. 29, 2019, in the couple's River Heights home.

She had been stabbed 80 times.

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The trial has been unfolding at Court of Queen's Bench over the past 10 days. The Crown has closedits case and Schreiner has already taken the stand in his own defence.

Some witnesses went longer than expected and a watermain break last week shut down the courthouse for a day.This created a ripple effect.

Expert witnesses who had been tightly booked could not reschedule on short notice. Justice Ron Mills wants to hear expert witnesses without interruption.

The defence's next witness is Mansfield Mela, a psychiatrist who interviewedSchreiner at Saskatchewan Hospital.

Schreiner is not denying that he stabbed Brown, but he's pleading not guilty to the murder charge. He said that he did not know what he was doing and is notcriminally responsible.