A Kelowna man accused of murder from an incident back in March of 2016 appeared in court on Tuesday for the first day of what is likely to be a lengthy trial
28-year-old Chad Colton Alphonse faces the charge of murder in connection to the 2016 stabbing death of 26-year-old Waylon Percy Junior Jackson.
On March 11th, 2016, RCMP and paramedics arrived at a townhouse residence in Rutland to find Jackson suffering from multiple stab wounds and a significant amount of bloodloss.
Jackson died from his injuries shortly after being taken to hospital, and Alphonse was arrested near the residence where the incident took place.
Upon searching Alphonse, RCMP found a bloodied folding knife which contained DNA matching Jackson's.
Jackson's death came one day before a planned baby shower for his daughter, who was 6 weeks old at the time.
Both the victim and the accused apparently knew one another, and were at the house drinking when things took a violent turn.
Alphonse was reportedly arguing with his girlfriend when Jackson intervened, leading to a physical altercation where Jackson allegedly hit Alphonse several times with a chair before being stabbed.
After his arrest, Alphonse was granted bail, and pleaded not guilty, prompting the case to go to trial.
The jury for the trial was selected on Monday morning and received its instructions on the case on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday was the first day of what is expected to be a three-week trial, and one witness has already come forward, the first of approximately 27 witnesses in this case.
The exact identities of the witnesses are protected under a publication ban, although it has been confirmed that some key witnesses will include RCMP officers, paramedics, and anyone who was in attendance at the Rutland townhouse at the time of the incident.