REGINA – The man accused of murdering Misha Pavelick during a grad party in 2006 appeared in Regina Provincial Court this morning.
The accused killer, now 34, cannot be named as the alleged crime occurred when the man was 17 years old - hence his appearance in Youth Court today.
Appearing before Judge M. T. Beaton, the man asked to adjourn his matter for a month to seek legal counsel. While the accused does have adult matters later this month, Judge Beaton wanted to keep them and the youth charge of second degree murder separate.
Ultimately, Judge Beaton set the next court date for Aug. 21, giving the man time to either seek a private lawyer or Legal Aid counsel.
Last month, police announced an arrest in the cold-case murder of Pavelick on June 24, with an initial court appearance on June 26 where the Crown noted their opposition to release. He was later granted conditional bail as police confirmed the accused was no longer in custody during a June 27 news conference.
The murder charge stems from an event on May 21, 2006, where Pavelick was attending a grad party at Kinookimow Beach on Last Mountain Lake. Pavelick was stabbed to death at that party, and for 17 years, the question of who amongst the 100-plus attendees was to blame went unanswered.
RCMP had interviewed in excess of 200 witnesses over the years, gathering a staggering amount of evidence as well in that time. The case has not been closed, and RCMP launched a podcast called Who Killed Misha Pavelick?, which has noted several more tips since it’s May, 2021 launch.
“We, the family, realize this is not the end - just the beginning of the end,” Lorne Pavelick, Misha’s father, said during the June 27 news conference. “And it renews our hope for justice for our dear Misha.”
RCMP noted that there are 162 active files in the Historical Case Unit, 90 of which are either homicides or missing persons.
— Click for more from Crime, Cops and Court.
