Overview
- Proceedings were halted after too few sheriff officers were available to transport the accused to the Corner Brook courthouse, and the judge set the next sitting for after the long weekend.
- Justice Vikas Khaladkar urged Justice Minister Helen Conway Ottenheimer to immediately bolster staffing for the trial and rejected a proposal for Penney to appear by video, saying that was not appropriate for a murder case.
- Pointing to the Supreme Court of Canada’s R. v. Jordan ceilings, the judge said any further holdups would be institutional delays as the 30‑month limit runs out in June 2026.
- The trial opened with jury selection and opening statements, Penney pleaded not guilty, the Crown said he confessed to an undercover RCMP officer, and the defence called that statement unreliable and said he will testify.
- The case stems from the 2016 disappearance of Jennifer Hillier-Penney in St. Anthony, with no remains found, and a month-long jury trial is planned with 12 jurors and two alternates after an initial panel was trimmed.