The three men accused of killing a Kitchener man in a high-rise parking lot will stand trial for first-degree murder.
Adam Jones, 25, was killed in September 2012 in a parking lot on Belmont Avenue, near Gage Avenue.
Jerome Phillips, a 21-year-old Kitchener man, was arrested two weeks later and charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact.
Kadeem Gabriel, 22, and Tyrone Wint, 23, were charged with first-degree murder, while Phillips’ charge was upgraded to the same.
Police have said they believe the shooting may have stemmed from a drug deal that spiralled out of control.
In court Wednesday, a judge upheld the first-degree murder charges, denying attempts by defence lawyers to reduce the charge to second-degree murder.
After the decision was read in court, Gabriel yelled at the judge.
He later became physically agitated while being escorted out of the courtroom by police officers.
Concurrently, a woman was kicked out of the courtroom for shouting profanities at the judge.
None of Jones’ friends or family were present in the court.
Brennan Smart, who represents Gabriel, says it will likely be several months before the jury trial begins.
“There’s going to be a number of pretrial proceedings,” he tells CTV News.
Smart says the trial could start in June, but more likely won’t get underway until September.
