The Crown has scrapped plans for a preliminary inquiry in a St. John’s murder case, getting the OK to proceed straight to trial.

Five days were set aside for the prelim, designed to dissect and vet the evidence to determine if there’s enough of it to warrant a trial.

But the province’s Attorney General has the power, in more serious and complicated matters, to permit the Crown to skip the inquiry and proceed right to trial by what’s known as direct indictment.

That’s primarily to avoid delays that could sidetrack the matter and risk exceeding Jordan timelines to complete the trial.

And with three accused facing second-degree murder charges, and a slew of witnesses and applications expected, that risk was real.

Forty-two-year-old Brad Morrell, 51-year-old Jason Wells, and 37-year-old Veronica Whalen were charged following the death of 31-year-old Dylan Jordan on July 31st of last year.

Wells is also charged with possessing property obtained by crime and failing to show up for court.

All four lived in the same area of town, near the intersection of Golf and St. Clare avenues.

Police have only said there was a “physical altercation” before the victim ended up dead in the middle of the road.

Officers surrounded a nearby home, where the three suspects were held up, and arrested them without incident.

The case now moves from the provincial to the Supreme Court, with a formal arraignment in September.