The accused now has legal representation though it is not through Legal Aid
The man accused of killing 19-year-old Misha Pavelick at a party in 2006 made a brief appearance in a Regina courtroom Monday morning.
Having last been in court in mid-November, the man’s appearance Monday lasted all of a minute.
Friends and family of Pavelick sat in the gallery during the brief appearance. When it ended they could be heard asking each other “that was it?” as the accused stood, had his matter moved forward to another day, and then left.
Though the accused is now in his 30s, he cannot be named because he was a youth at the time of the alleged offence. He is not in custody and appeared alone, sitting in the back corner of a room reserved for young offenders.
During the appearance, a lawyer from Legal Aid told Judge Kevin Lang the case had been referred to outside counsel due to a conflict that was not elaborated on.
Appearing as an agent for the outside counsel, the Legal Aid lawyer was not able to give details on the next appearance or its nature, though it is set for mid-February.
The man was charged with second-degree murder on June 27, 2023, 6,246 days after Pavelick was stabbed to death at a party during the May long weekend. The RCMP say a fight broke out at the party between partygoers and party crashers at a campground near Regina Beach. In the ensuing melee, Pavelick was fatally stabbed.
Though a charge has been laid, the RCMP say the investigation is still open.
Police have done over 200 witness interviews, and a podcast called “Who Killed Misha Pavelick?” was broadcast by the RCMP to try and drum up leads, new information, or a break in the cold case.
But during the press conference announcing charges against the man in June 2023, Sgt. Maj. Darryl Milo still urged anyone who was at the party, anyone with information from that night to come forward and share what they know with police.
Most of the people present at the party were teenagers or young adults at the time of the killing. Investigators believe that while people had information about the killing, many were too afraid to come forward with their accounts of what happened.
At the June news conference held by RCMP, Lorne Pavelick, Misha’s father, said he knew “this is not the end.”
— with files from Brandon Harder