Jury selection is underway in the first-degree murder trial of an Orillia man and his two co-accused, however details are still scarce ahead of the trial, which is expected to get underway later this week.
Sonny Brokenshire, 22, of Orillia, Martin Forget, 43, of Sainte-Barbe, Que. and Brian Quesnel, 30, of The Nation were all charged with first-degree murder in the death of Joseph Simonds, 34, in 2017.
All three accused have been held in custody pending trial since.
Very few details have been officially released by police regarding the homicide.
On June 4, 2017, Joseph Simonds was shot and killed at a home on Franklin Street in Orillia.
After arresting and charging Brokenshire and Forget later that week on June 8, 2017, a Canada-wide arrest warrant for first-degree murder was issued for Quesnel in connection with the crime.
Quesnel was arrested on June 16, 2017 in Sainte-Barbe, Que. with the assistance of multiple agencies, including OPP East Region Regional Support Team, Quebec Provincial Police Homicide Unit, a K9 unit, and a physical surveillance unit.
The shooting occurred at about 4 a.m. on June 4, 2017 when Orillia OPP and emergency crews were called to the Franklin Street address after reports of shots being fired. Upon arrival they found Simonds, who had been shot. He was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Simonds and Brokenshire were friends on a popular social media site, however at the time of arrest, police wouldn't confirm if the men knew one another or what the connection between the victim and the three accused might be.
The trial will commence as soon as jury selection ends, which, according to court officials, is expected later this week. The trial is expected to take four weeks.