Preliminary inquiry set for man charged after death of Oromocto First Nation woman

A New Brunswick judgehas scheduled a hearing to decide whether a trial should proceedfor a man accused of murder in the death of a Wolastoqey woman.

Jared Smith is accused of second-degree murder in the deathof Sheri Lynn Sabattis, whose body was found inside a home in Oromocto First Nation on April 27.

Judge Lucie Mathurin scheduled Smith's two-day preliminary inquiry for March 25 and April 25, 2025, during acourt appearance in Fredericton provincial court on Friday.

Smith appeared by phone from the Dalhousie Regional Correctional Centre for Friday's appearance and was represented by lawyer GillesLemieux, who also appeared by phone.

His brief appearance focusedon setting dates for his preliminary inquiry, which is a judicial hearing used in serious criminal cases to determine whether Crown prosecutors have gathered enough evidence against an accused person to proceed with a trial.

Lawyer expecting more evidence

Crown prosecutor Rodney Jordan told Mathurinthat a "second wave" of evidence also referred to as disclosurehad been vetted and sent off to Lemieux's office to review.

Lemieux said he had some outstanding issues with the evidence he'sreviewed so far, but added those concerns would likely be addressed by a third wave of disclosure he expected to receive soon.

"There will definitely be more disclosure coming," Jordan said.

Mathurin said Crown and defence counsel could come back before the court to discuss any issues with the disclosure, but otherwise adjourned the case until March 25.