A man, Calvin Burns-Smith, is facing trial for two counts of uttering threats against a woman in a separate case unrelated to the murder of a Rothesay woman in Musquash last year. The trial dates were set for April 5 and April 17, 2025. Burns-Smith, 31, appeared briefly in court on Tuesday morning where Judge Kelly Winchester scheduled a two-day trial for him on February 4 and 5 at 9:30 a.m. He remains in police custody after pleading not guilty to the charges.
In a separate case, Burns-Smith was already in custody on threat charges when arrested by RCMP on April 21 last year for the death of Sarah Teakles, a 26-year-old mother of two. Teakles’ body was discovered on April 17 in Maces Bay, southwest of Saint John. Burns-Smith faces charges of second-degree murder and interfering with human remains. The murder trial is set to commence on May 3.
Initially charged with manslaughter, Burns-Smith opted for a jury trial with a preliminary inquiry in July 2025. However, the charge was upgraded to second-degree murder in August, and a direct indictment was filed by the Crown, bypassing the preliminary inquiry stage and proceeding directly to trial. During a pre-trial conference, Burns-Smith requested a trial before a judge alone, which was consented to by Crown prosecutor Elaina Campbell. Another pre-trial conference for the murder charge is anticipated in early September.