A man charged with manslaughter in the January 2023 fatal stabbing death of another man behind a Vancouver shelter has elected to be tried by a B.C. Supreme Court judge.
Jason Robert St. Anne was stabbed on Jan. 8, 2023, after an altercation near the intersection of Yukon Street and West 5th Avenue, according to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD).
Police said St. Anne was a resident at the Yukon Shelter and Housing Centre, outside of which the stabbing happened.
St. Anne was rushed to hospital where he died.
On Feb. 23, the VPD said Dillon Robert Goth, 28, had been charged with manslaughter in connection with St. Anne’s death.
His lawyer, Lisa Helps, told Vancouver Provincial Court Judge Dawn Boblin Aug. 23 that Goth waived reading of the charge and made the selection of trial type, meaning he is pleading not guilty to the charge.
Boblin heard a three-day preliminary inquiry is needed. That is a hearing in provincial court to determine if enough evidence exists to go to trial. Such hearings are covered by a statutory publication ban.
Lawyers will now look for dates for future hearings before the case moves to B.C. Supreme Court.
Goth has yet to have a bail hearing, Helps said.
The finding of St. Anne led to the closure of the alley between West 4th and West 5th avenues as investigators searched the area. Security footage shows investigators finding a bladed weapon, as well as bagged clothing.
