Evidence began Monday in a preliminary inquiry against former Calgary dad Oluwatosin Oluwafemi the prosecution hopes will result in him standing trial for the murder of his daughter.
Crown prosecutors Susan Pepper and Melissa Bond are expected to call at least seven witnesses over the course of a scheduled five-day preliminary hearing.
Pepper said the Crown’s case could even wrap up Thursday, when it’s expected provincial court Judge Marilyn Slawinsky will decide if Oluwafemi will stand trial for second-degree murder.
At defence lawyer Alain Hepner’s request, Slawinsky imposed a publication ban on the evidence being presented by the Crown in the inquiry.
Oluwafemi is charged in connection with the Dec. 19, 2014, death of his daughter, Olive Rebekah Oluwafemi.
After the death, Oluwafemi relocated to Eastern Canada, but Hepner said at the time of the accused’s arrest, his client was never on the lam and had kept authorities abreast of where he was living.
Oluwafemi was arrested in Ontario last Dec. 8, and returned to Calgary, where he had been living at the time of the girl’s death.
In July, Oluwafemi was denied bail by Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Robert Hall, who ruled the accused hadn’t established reason for his release pending trial.
In most cases the burden for establishing whether a person should be detained is on the Crown, but for murder charges that onus is reverse.
KMartin@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @KMartinCourts
