Preliminary hearings for Peter Khill begin

HAMILTON – A preliminary hearing began Tuesday for a 27-year-old Glanbrook man charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of 29-year-old Jon Styres of Ohsweken in February 2016.

A publication ban prevents evidences presented in court to be printed until after the trial is complete.

The accused, 27-year-old Peter Khill [pronounced Kay-Hill], was charged and placed into custody in the early morning of Feb, 4, 2016 but was released on bail shortly after. He was in Hamilton court Tuesday, March 21, 2017, for preliminary hearings that will take place for the rest of the week.

Witnesses claimed Styres was in the process of stealing the accused’s pickup truck from Khill’s driveway at 3 a.m. Styres was shot and pronounced dead on the scene.

There were a large number of friends, family members and supporters for both Khill and Styres in the gallery on Tuesday.

Before the hearing began, Lindsay Hill, Styres’ girlfriend and mother of their two children, said she was “so nervous” of what the outcome of the oncoming trial may be.

A preliminary hearing is a court proceeding that takes place before the trial of a serious offence. Preliminary hearings are not available for most minor offences. The purpose of a preliminary hearing is for the judge to decide whether there is enough evidence against the person that a reasonable jury properly directed by the judge could convict. If there is not sufficient evidence, the accused will be discharged. Generally, that is the same as the case being dismissed.

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