After two consecutive video appearances, Hugh McColl saw the inside of a courtroom from the prisoner’s box Tuesday.

McColl is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Kate Lynn Reid, as well as committing an indignity to human remains.

The two lived together in an apartment on Burn Place in Kitchener for a period of time. Friends say they didn't know each other until Reid began looking for someone to split rent with.

Court documents allege that McColl killed the 51-year-old Reid on New Year’s Day, and disposed of her body – which has yet to be found – sometime between then and Jan. 27.

Tuesday’s court appearance was also the first where McColl was represented by a lawyer.

Craig Parry said the case remains in its “very early days” and little information has been shared between him and the Crown.

“The evidence regarding the arrest hasn’t come out in any real detail yet, and I’m sure the investigation is still ongoing,” he told CTV News.

McColl’s next court appearance is expected to take place March 17.