A 25-year-old Wallaceburg woman, who has been charged with first-degree murder, appeared in a Chatham courtroom via video on Wednesday.
Wearing a dark baggy sweater and long hair past her shoulders, Kourtny Audette told the court her new lawyer is Laura Joy. The Windsor-based lawyer replaces Gudrun Mueller-Wilm, who was previously named as Audette’s legal representative during an appearance in April.
Joy, who was not present in the packed courtroom, made a request through duty counsel for the matter to return back to bail court next week to review disclosure.
Audette’s appearance is scheduled via video for Wednesday, May 9 at 10:30 a.m.
In the meantime, she will remain in custody.
Evidence heard during the bail phase of the case is protected by publication ban.
As previously released, Chatham-Kent Police Service officials allege that on April 18 at around 6:30 p.m. emergency crews responded to a residence on Book Street where a man was found without vital signs.
Nicholas Laprise, 24-years-old of Dover Township, was pronounced dead at the scene, police say.
A post-mortem was conducted on April 19, 2018 at University Hospital in London.
Police officials say the cause of death will not be released to protect the integrity of the investigation.
“I would like to reassure the community that we have no public safety concerns at this time, as this was an isolated and contained incident,” said Inspector Trevor Crane, of the Chatham-Kent Police Service Major Crime Unit.
“This was not a random act of violence, as the man and woman were known to each other. We will take as much time as necessary and use all resources available to ensure that this investigation is completed thoroughly and properly. We will continue to release information as it become available.”
Police officials say detectives from the Major Crime Unit continue to investigate.
