A Bay Roberts murder case is moving to the preliminary inquiry stage.

Three people have been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 42-year-old man from Spaniard’s Bay.

Forty-one-year-old Matthew Kavanagh and 28-year-old Stephanie Noftall, both of Harbour Grace, and 34-year-old Terry Cole of Carbonear have also been charged with indecently or improperly interfering with a body.

The victim’s remains were found on Sept. 30th in a burned-out pickup on Country Road in Bay Roberts. The three suspects were arrested five days later at a home in Harbour Grace.

They once again appeared in Harbour Grace provincial court this afternoon by video and phone from HMP, and corrections centres in Clarenville and Stephenville.

And while the Crown was ready to set dates for the preliminary inquiry, it was decided to do that next week.

That should give all parties, along with the court, time to find two free weeks for the inquiry, which determines if there’s enough evidence to go to trial.

The dates are expected to be set when the case is called again on Jan. 17th.