A preliminary hearing is underway in Yellowknife for Denecho King, the accused murderer who escaped Yellowknife’s North Slave Correctional Centre this summer.
King’s escape from jail isn’t the focus of this particular hearing, however.
Instead, the inquiry will try to determine if there’s enough evidence to send his original case to trial.
King is accused of killing John Wifladt and seriously injuring another man, Colin Digness, in a December 2014 attack.
Both men were found seriously injured in an apartment at Sunridge Place in the early hours of Dec. 14. Wifladt later died of his injuries in hospital while Digness was medevaced to Edmonton for further treatment.
King, 22 at the time, was arrested five months after the attack. He was charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder on May 1, 2015.
The court has scheduled 11 days of court time for his preliminary inquiry.
King’s escape from lawful custody
King is also facing a separate charge for being unlawfully at large after managing to break out of Yellowknife’s jail this summer.
Justice officials say King took advantage of a ‘pre-existing gap’ when he escaped from the North Slave Correctional Centre on Aug. 10.
King was at large for three days before being arrested on Aug. 13 at a Sissons Court townhouse, less than two and a half kilometers away from the jail.
