Accused in Oromocto First Nation homicide given time to seek lawyer

A Burton man accused of killing a woman in Oromocto First Nation over the weekend made a brief court appearance on Monday in front of the victim's grieving relatives.

Jared Smith appeared in Fredericton provincial court by telephone from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre, where he's currently being held on remand.

Judge Scott Brittain read out the charge laid by the RCMP, which is that he committed second-degree murder in the death of Sheri Sabattis in Oromocto First Nation on Saturday.

For Smith's appearance, the courtroom was filled with about a dozen people who appeared to be family or friends of Sabattis, including Chief Shelley Sabattis, who made comments aloud referring to the victim as her sister.

Oromocto First Nation Chief Shelley Sabattis appeared in court on Monday and referred to Sheri Sabattis as her sister. (Logan Perley/CBC)

Many in the courtroom were dressed in red clothing, including some with text and images related to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, which was the subject of a national inquiry looking into the high rate at which Indigenous women went missing or were murdered in Canada in recent years.

Legal aid lawyer Michael Mallory told the court Smith was looking to hire a private defence lawyer. He said Smith wanted four weeks to find one.

Crown prosecutor Christopher Lavigne agreed to that timeline, and Brittain scheduled Smith's next court appearance for May 27.

Brittain ordered Smith to remain on remand, before ending the call with him.

On Sunday, RCMP issued a news release saying Smith, 38, had been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a homicide in Oromocto First Nation on Saturday.

The RCMP said officers responded to a call at a residence at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, where they found the body of a 54-year-old woman from the community.

The news release said Smith lives in Burton, which is about nine kilometres away.