In a rare decision, the trial for two people charged in the New Year’s Day 2013 murder of Noelle Paquette, will be moved from Sarnia.
Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas ruled on Monday that Michael MacGregor, 21, and Tanya Bogdanovich, 33, will not be tried at the Sarnia courthouse.
Both MacGregor and Bogdanovich are charged with first-degree murder in death of the 27-year-old school teacher.
Paquette’s body was found in a wooded area outside of Sarnia, after she had been spotted leaving a New Year’s Eve party in downtown Sarnia.
Reports say several reason played into Thomas’ decision to move the pending trail, including:
– The publicity surrounding the case
– The background of MacGregor and Bogdanovich
– Community support for Paquette – including “Noelle’s Gift” a charity that has raised over $400,000 for underprivileged kid’s in her memory
– And security deficiencies at the Sarnia courthouse
The new location will be chosen by the regional senior justice of the Southwest Region.
