by A judge could rule today on an application to ban the publication of evidence in the second-degree murder trial of Thomas Ted Barrett in the death of Brett Elizabeth MacKinnon.
The 40 year-old Glace Bay man is scheduled to stand trial on the 18th of this month in the case.
21 year-old MacKinnon was reported missing in 2006 and her remains were found in woods in the Passchendaele area of Glace Bay in 2008.
Yesterday, Barrett’s lawyer, Brian Bailey, argued that evidence from the trial by judge alone could taint potential jurors when Barrett stands trial on another second degree murder charge in September.
Barrett is one of two people charged in the 2012 death of 21-year-old Laura Jessome from Bras d’Or.
However, the lawyer for the two local media outlets opposing the publication ban, David Coles argued there’s huge public interest in the MacKinnon case.
He also says an eight-month gap between the two trials will reduce the chance a jury could be influenced by media coverage of the first trial.
Justice Robin Gogan says she’ll issue a decision on the application for a publication ban sometime this week and perhaps as early as today.