N.B. man’s double-murder trial adjourned early without hearing any testimony

The trial of a Moncton man accused of killing a Dieppe couple resumed on Thursday.

Day 2 of Janson Bryan Baker’s murder trial in Moncton, N.B., was a brief one.

Justice Cameron Gunn dismissed the jury Thursday, saying a legal issue had arisen before the trial was set to resume.

“You’re going to get a long weekend. We will adjourn this matter today and we will not be sitting again until Monday,” said Gunn. “We’re off to a slow start, but we will catch up.”

Gunn said the purpose of the delay was irrelevant to the jury members and they should not be concerned with it.

Baker, 29, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 74-year-old Rose-Marie Saulnier and her husband, 78-year-old Bernard Saulnier.

The Saulniers were shot and killed in their home on Amirault Street in Dieppe, N.B., on Sept. 7, 2019.

During opening statements on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Brad Burgess told the full courtroom the jury would hear from a former acquaintance of Baker’s.

Burgess said the witness will testify that Baker admitted breaking into the home looking for Sylvio Saulnier, the son of Bernard and Rose-Marie, and instead shot the couple in the head.

The identity of that witness is protected under a publication ban.

Burgess told the court on Tuesday that Baker had gone to the couple’s home “under the cover of darkness” in the early-morning hours to kill Sylvio.

“An elderly couple dead. Killed in their nightclothes in their home,” said Burgess.

Although in his mid-40s at the time, Sylvio was living at home with the elderly couple, but he wasn’t there at the time of the murders.

Court heard that Sylvio led a “complicated life,” struggled with addiction and was involved in drug trafficking.

The 14 jury members were shown crime scene photos from inside the home and Rose-Marie’s bedroom, where both bodies were found by Sylvio and Nadine Vosburgh, the Crown’s first witness.

Vosburgh, a family friend who was close to Sylvio, testified on Tuesday that when they arrived just before noon on Sept. 7, 2019 she noticed Bernard’s walker in the kitchen, which she thought was odd.

Bernard Saulnier had mobility issues, court was told, and used his walker frequently.

Vosburgh testified she found both bodies when she entered Rose-Marie’s bedroom.

“She was laying face down, her head was tilt as if she was looking at Bernard, and there was blood all over the bed,” said Vosburgh.

Vosburgh testified that she then yelled out to Sylvio.

“Your parents are dead. We need to call the police,” said Vosburgh.

The two then quickly exited the home and called police.

During his opening statement, Burgess said testimony will reveal Bernard Saulnier’s gold watch and gold chain were stolen off his body.

The jury was shown a photo of Baker posing for a photo wearing a chain after the murders took place.

That picture was eventually seized by police and is now part of the Crown’s evidence.

The gun used to kill the couple was never recovered, the court heard.

Sylvio Saulnier died in 2023, but his death was not ruled suspicious.

The trial is expected to last until the end of March.

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