SASKATOON - A jury of six men and six women will decide the fate of a man charged with shooting two Saskatchewan RCMP officers.
Curt Dagenais, 44, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and an additional charge of attempted murder.
Constables Robin Cameron and Marc Bourdages were killed during a car chase down country roads near the town of Spiritwood on July 7, 2006.
A third officer was also involved in the shooting but not injured.
It took about four hours for the jury to be selected in a Saskatoon courtroom Monday.
Potential jurors were asked questions about possible bias in the case because of pre-trial publicity.
They were also asked whether they had donated money to memorials for the slain officers or purchased commemorative memorabilia.
Defence lawyer Bill Roe said it was a fair selection and his client is ready for the trial.
"I think that any accused in any criminal proceeding feels a certain amount of relief when the matter finally gets to trial," Roe said. "Certainly it's always a tense situation with anyone charged with a criminal offence."
The trial was originally set to begin last fall but Roe successfully won a last-minute bid to move the case from the small town of Battleford to Saskatoon. He had argued that the only way his client would get a fair trial was if it were move from the region near where the shootings occurred to a larger centre with a bigger jury pool.
Art Dagenais nearly broke into tears outside the courthouse when discussing his son's case with reporters.
"Curt he didn't shoot anybody. There's no evidence there at all."
He said his son has been held in custody for nearly three years waiting for his trial. He talks to him each night on the phone.
"I think he's ready as he'll ever be. It's been a long time in confinement."
The Crown was expected to make opening arguments and call the first of about 30 witnesses Tuesday.
The trial is expected to last three weeks.
