BY KEITH LACEY
What promises to be one of the more disturbing murder cases in this cityÂ?s history wonÂ?t be going before a jury for at least one month, maybe two.
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ThatÂ?s because itÂ?s going to take several week of pre-trial motions before a jury selected in the first-degree murder trial of Casey Clark, 30, who is charged with killing his grandmother Delia St. Pierre, 73, at her Chelmsford home 17 months ago.
Assistant Crown attorney Susan Stothart told Justice Patricia Hennessy of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice Monday itÂ?s going to take at least one month, and probably longer, to hear a variety of pre-trial motions.
While police have revealed very few details, this case is extremely disturbing because Clark is not only accused of murdering his grandmother, but sources have told Northern Life brutal, disturbing violence violence was involved.
Clark had also only recently been released from a federal penitentiary after serving a long sentence for a brutal rape of a Southern Ontario woman.
Stothart, along with assistant Crown attorney Alex Kurke and defence lawyers Terry Waltenbury and Andrew Buttazzoni, began those pre-trial motions in front of Hennessy Monday and Tuesday.
Hennessy ordered a ban on publication on all evidence presented during pre-trial motions.
Hennessy also ordered members of St. PierreÂ?s family to leave the court as many will be called as witnesses once the trial begins.
Hennessy also ruled members of the media will be excluded when certain evidence related to ClarkÂ?s past is presented during pre-trial motions.
The media ban applies only to one area of interest about ClarkÂ?s past and the media will be allowed to hear all of the other evidence presented during the pre-trial motions, although the publication ban remains in effect until the case goes to the jury several weeks from now.
ClarkÂ?s trial is scheduled to begin before a judge and jury on March 22.
Clark was arrested by Greater Sudbury Police one week after his St. PierreÂ?s badly beaten body was found inside her Chelmsford home. ItÂ?s believed St. Pierre was killed on Aug. 21, 2002.
Clark was arrested on Aug. l 28, 2002 and has remained in custody at the Sudbury District Jail since his arrest.
Police confirmed at the time of his arrest that Clark had been living across the street from St. Pierre.
In November of 2000, Clark received a seven-month jail sentence for breaching court orders.
He was released in early 2001 after serving a four-and-a-half year penitentiary term for the brutal rape of a woman in southern Ontario.
In that vicious assault, Clark gained entry into the womanÂ?s home by claiming he was a police officer. He proceeded to tie her up and repeatedly rape her.
Clark, who carries more than 350 pounds on his short, stocky frame, was escorted by police security officers in handcuffs and leg shackles to the courtroom Monday.
Police have not revealed any details about St. PierreÂ?s murder and the cause of death has never been released to the public.
At his sentencing hearing in November of 2000, Clark got on the witness stand and admitted he still suffers violent delusional thoughts when off medication for a myriad of psychiatric problems.
Clark pleaded guilty to breaching five court orders within two weeks of being released from a federal penitentiary in late August in 2000.
Court heard Clark admits to suffering delusions of cannibalism, decapitation and other acts of extreme violence when not on medication for his psychiatric problems.
Clark had served the entire 52-month sentence he received after being found guilty in 1995 of impersonating a police officer, breaking into a woman's home in Cayuga, Ont., tying her up, raping her at knifepoint and threatening to kill her.
At the time of that incident, Clark was on probation after serving time for two counts of sexual interference, one with a five-year-old boy and the second with a six-year-old girl.
Three days after his release, Greater Sudbury Police caught him drinking beer inside a downtown restaurant, which breached a court order Clark not consume alcohol.
Clark was re-released with a surety the next day, but within two weeks he breached several conditions by leaving Sudbury and heading to Toronto for two weeks, before returning to Sudbury for a family funeral and turning himself into police.
At the time of St. PierreÂ?s death, Clark was on a probation order with strict conditions. Those conditions prohibited him from consuming alcohol and illicit drugs, possessing any prohibited weapon, associating with any known criminal or communicating with any of his victims or their families.
He was also ordered to take any medication or counseling as recommended by his probation officer.
