A man accused of a murder in the Waterford Valley area of St. John’s last year has fired his lawyer, leading to potential delays in the case.
27-year-old Sheldon Hibbs faces a single charge of second-degree murder in the beating death of 68-year-old Michael King.
King’s bloodied body was found on a trail that runs alongside Waterford Valley High school on May 30, 2021.
But it was almost a year later, in March of this year, before Hibbs was arrested in Calgary and returned to St. John’s on a private charter that reportedly cost almost $100,000.
That was necessary following an incident that saw Hibbs banned from commercial flights.
He appeared briefly in court this morning from HMP by video to confirm that he now wants a new Legal Aid lawyer.
A meeting on that is set for tomorrow with the provincial director.
But that also throws into doubt the schedule for the preliminary inquiry, which is supposed to start on November 22.
All parties are due back in court on Monday for an update on Hibbs’ lawyer, and whether they can stick to that date.