Photo: Nicholas Johansen

The Kelowna courthouse.

A jury has been selected for the trial of a 48-year-old North Okanagan man accused of killing another man near Armstrong in 2021.

The trial, taking place in Kelowna, opened Monday with jury selection and is expected to continue this week with arguments presented without the jury present. As a result, those arguments will be subject to a publication ban.

It is expected the full trial will start March 4.

Jevon Smith was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Dakota Samoleski, after Samoleski’s body was found in the 4500 block of Back Enderby Road, northwest of Armstrong. Smith has been in custody since his arrest in September 2021.

The lengthy trial is expected to run through to April 12 after two weeks of pretrial applications earlier this year.

Smith applied for bail last December but was denied bail by a judge with no reason made public.