The man charged with first-degree murder in the death of Chantal John in Conne River wants his latest appeal to be heard in private, away from the media and the public.

Kirk Keeping is accused of killing the 28-year-old woman outside her home more than four years ago, in January of 2019.

But the case has been repeatedly postponed due to Keeping’s dissatisfaction with the lawyers assigned by Legal Aid.

He fired two of them the day before the first trial was to start two years ago, and has been fighting for a private lawyer, at a higher rate, paid by the province.

That’s something government all but abolished in 2018, except in extraordinary cases.

Keeping was turned down by the Supreme Court, and will appeal that decision next week, on May 11—but he doesn’t want the media or the public to be there.

He’ll make that argument in a separate hearing two days earlier, on May 9.

The trial, meanwhile, is now set for April of next year.