Still no date for Naramata murder trial; court sends further proceedings to Kelowna

Photo: Wade Cudmore

Wade Cudmore, facing a murder charge relating to two deaths in Naramata in 2021.

The trial of accused Naramata murderer Wade Cudmore still has no date set, as progress continues slowly through the court system.

Cudmore is accused in the deaths of Carlo and Erick Fryer, brothers from Kamloops whose bodies were found outside of Naramata in May 2021. A co-accused, Anthony Graham, remains at large.

Cudmore has pleaded not guilty. A preliminary inquiry in October 2022 determined there was enough evidence to proceed to trial.

In B.C. Supreme Court in Penticton Tuesday, a date was due to be fixed, but lawyers asked for more time and to move the matter to Kelowna.

"This has been bumping along for some time, hasn't it?" asked the presiding justice.

Lawyers explained that the case's complexity has led to delays, necessitating the assignment of a case management judge.

The decision was made in December to move the complex trial to Kelowna, and since then, they have been awaiting a case management judge to be set before fixing a date for the trial.

As of Tuesday in court, lawyers still had no indication that had been done.

The justice agreed to move the fix-date matter to Kelowna where the trial will eventually be held, rather than spending more time in the Penticton courts.

Cudmore's next appearance to fix a date for trial will be March 13. The trial is expected to take up to six months.