Windsor's first jury trial since COVID-19 spreads across 4 courtrooms
CBC
The first criminal jury trial in roughly 20 months is resuming Tuesday at Windsor's Superior Court of Justice, occupying four courtrooms that are reconfigured to meet public health guidelines.
In the main courtroom of the homicide trial, jurors will sit in cushy office chairs, physically distanced, at the back where members of the public typically sit. The accused, Jitesh Bhogal, will be in a plexiglass box the jury normally occupies.
Another courtroom will be used solely for jury deliberations, while the remaining two will be for the public to watch on television screens that stream live from the main courtroom. Others can also request access to a virtual link to watch the proceedings as they happen.
Bhogal is facing charges of first-degree murder, aggravated sexual assault and break and enter in connection to the death of 31-year-old Autumn Taggart in June 2018. Police said her 9-year-old child was home at the time. Bhogal is a Canadian citizen, but living in Michigan at the time.
Jury selection is expected to begin Tuesday and evidence will begin to be heard starting Oct. 18. The trial is scheduled to take eight weeks.
The passage of time in this case exceeds what's known as the Jordan Framework, which came into effect in 2016 to address inherent delays in getting cases to trial within the Canadian justice system. It sets out a "presumptive ceiling" of 30 months for cases going to trial in Superior Court. It's taken more than 36 months for Bhogal's trial to commence, as he was arrested back in August, 2018.
Delays caused by extreme circumstances, such as a global pandemic, need to be taken into account, according to Danardo Jones, assistant professor at the University of Windsor's Faculty of Law, who specializes in criminal law.
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