Manitoba man accused of killing his neighbour makes court appearance

Eric Wildman appears in court A Manitoba man charged with first-degree murder in connection with a 2020 death made a brief court appearance.

A Manitoba man accused of killing his neighbour made a court appearance Monday.

Eric Wildman, a 34-year-old man from the RM of St. Clements, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 40-year-old neighbour Clifford Joseph.

Wildman appeared in a Manitoba's Court of King's Bench courtroom on Monday, along with his defence lawyer and the Crown attorneys to begin a pre-trial.

None of the details discussed in the courtroom during the 10-day pre-trial can be reported on due to the trial being in a voir dire – a trial within a trial to determine the admissibility of evidence.

Wildman was arrested in June 2021, following an RCMP manhunt that ended in a shootout with Ontario Provincial Police in Belleville, Ont.

In July 2021, police found human remains later identified as Joseph in Stead, Man. Two months later in September 2021, police formally charged Wildman, who was in custody at the Headingley Correction Centre, in connection with Joseph’s death.

The charges against Wildman have not been proven in court.

In April, Wildman was directly indicted and deemed fit to stand trial. A jury trial will begin May 8, 2023, and is scheduled to last until June 16.