One of three men arrested for first-degree murder last week has yet to be formally charged given his condition in hospital.
The charges would normally be read to the accused by a judge within 24 hours of the arrest.
But it was made abundantly clear in provincial court yesterday that 47-year-old Douglas Yetman is in no condition for that yet.
Yetman was arrested at a James Place home last Tuesday night after it was surrounded by police during a shelter-in-place order.
He was removed on a stretcher and rushed to hospital, reportedly due to self-inflicted injuries.
To date that has prevented him from physically appearing in court, or even by phone, with the judge told he wouldn’t be able to understand or comprehend what’s being said.
The other side of the same house (VOCM News)
Forty-two-year Darryl Little and 28-year-old Peter Campbell are also charged with the murder of a 41-year-old man in a small house that borders Empire Avenue and Winchester Street in St. John’s.
It happened on December 21st. Campbell was arrested the next night, Little was caught the next morning, and Yetman was cornered later that night, on the 23rd.
Campbell and Little remain in custody and are due back in court on January 14th.
Yetman’s appearance was postponed until this afternoon, though the Crown noted there’s no estimate on when he’ll be “medically” able to answer to the charges.
