Hay River man pleads guilty to robbery on first day of murder trial

A man from Hay River who is on trial for first-degree murder has pleaded guilty to robbery.

Levi Cayenis charged with killing and robbing Alex Norwegian in Hay River on the night of Dec. 26, 2017. As the jury selection process for his trial began Monday morning, he entered his pleas: guilty of robbery, and not guilty of first-degree murder.

The trialis set to run until March 11.

Cayen is one of four people who were charged in connection with Norwegian's death. His case is the last of the four to be resolved, and there is a publication ban on details of the other three.

Extra jurors selected

The court selected 14 jurors Monday to oversee Cayen's trial.

Juries in the Northwest Territories typically have 12 members, but Supreme Court Justice Shannon Smallwood agreed to have two extra jurors selected because of the COVID-19 pandemic and due to how long the trial is.

Smallwood said the extra jurors will give the court some flexibility in case some jurors need to withdraw during the trial.

The court also picked two alternate jurors, who will be dismissed at the beginning of the trial if they are not needed.

Smallwood said the law only allows 12 jurors to deliberate on the outcome of a trial. She said before deliberations begin, the court will draw numbers to pick which of the 14 jurors will decide Cayen's fate.

Vaccination requirement

Cayen's trial is one of only ahandful of jury trials that have gone ahead in the Northwest Territories since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Monday's jury selection happened at the Multiplex in Yellowknife. Before jurors could enter, they were required to provide proof of vaccination.

Smallwood said there would be rapid test kits and masks available for jurors who sit on this trial.

Roughly 50 people showed up for jury selection, while around 80 more were absent. Smallwood asked the court sheriff to look into those absences.