Jury trial set in Lincoln fatal shooting
Joshua Christopher Raines, 47, and Samantha Mary Butler, 22, jointly charged with second-degree murder in death of Lucas Richard Solomon Polchies on March 12
A jury will decide the fate of a man and woman accused in the fatal shooting of a Bilijk (Kingsclear) First Nation man earlier this year in the spring of 2025.
Joshua Christopher Raines, 47, of Route 565 in Holmesville, between Perth Andover and Florenceville-Bristol; and Samantha Mary Butler, 22, of Karen Drive in Rusagonis, appeared in person and in custody at the Burton Courthouse on Monday for motions day to schedule their jury trial.
The pair is charged jointly with second-degree murder in the March 12 death of Lucas Richard Solomon Polchies, 27, of Bilijk First Nation.
The RCMP’s major crime unit reported earlier this year that after receiving a 911 call reporting a gunshot, officers and other first responders were dispatched to the 2300 block of Route 102 in Lincoln at approximately 4:10 a.m. March 12.
They found Solomon Polchies at the scene, a police news release said, and he was rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Justice Terrence Morrison confirmed Monday that Raines and Butler’s jury trial is set to begin March 17, 2025, and is scheduled to run for five weeks.
The judge also noted a voir-dire hearing to determine evidentiary issues ahead of the trial is scheduled for the month before, beginning Feb. 3, 2025.
Raines and Butler had been scheduled to go through a preliminary inquiry in Fredericton provincial court in December. Such hearings are held in the lower level of court to determine if there’s sufficient evidence to set them over for trial in the Court of King’s Bench.
But as it’s done with other recent murder prosecutions, the Crown prosecutors’ office filed a preferred indictment in the Raines/Butler case, allowing it to skip the preliminary-inquiry step.
As has been the case during previous court appearances in the case, numerous members of Solomon Polchies’ family and community were on hand at the Burton Courthouse on Monday, most of them wearing attire emblazoned with the words “Justice for Lucas.”
Raines and Butler are subject to court orders barring them from communicating with one another and with six other individuals: Patrick Harris, Victoria King, Abigail King, Tyler Sabattis, Bethany Paul and Hannah Kilfillen - who are likely to be called as witnesses at trial.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.