Tentative dates have been set for the preliminary inquiry in the Dean Penney murder case.

Penney is charged with first-degree murder in the presumed death of his estranged wife, Jennifer Hillier-Penney.

She disappeared from the St. Anthony area more than seven years ago, on November 30, 2016.

There has been no sign of her since.

There have been several court appearances to date, with Judge Wayne Gorman doing his best to expedite the case.

Most of this afternoon’s proceeding was taken up with aligning schedules to accommodate the preliminary inquiry, which is expected to last a month and determine if there’s enough evidence to go to trial.

In the end, lawyers and the court were able to agree on one week in each of August, September, October and November.

Dean Penney was arrested on December 15 in the Deer Lake area.

He remains in custody at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s.