A man accused of committing first-degree murder in Vernon entered a not guilty plea as his trial began in Supreme Court in Vernon Tuesday, Aug. 5.
Peter Michael Visintainer, 63, is charged in connection with the May 2022 death of Wolf-Ingo Beyer, whose body was found on Six Mile Creek Road off Westside Road on May 29, 2022. The victim had been stabbed and suffered multiple blunt-force injuries.
Visintainer's matter is being tried by Supreme Court Justice Jan Brongers alone.
Crown lawyer Margaret Cissell outlined her trial plan before calling her first witness as proceedings began Tuesday. She plans to call nine civilian witnesses, 13 police officers, and three experts in the fields of toxicology, forensics, and DNA to the stand.
The trial is slated for 19 days in court.
Cissell said Beyer's 2000 Chevy Silverado flatbed truck, and how the accused came into possession of the truck, will play a huge role in the evidence presented.
Visintainer, with head shaved and wearing black glasses and red prison garb, watched the opening of his trial from the accused's dock in Supreme Court in Vernon. He is represented by lawyer Ben Lynskey of Victoria, and associate Bryan McPhail.
There is a possibility the trial could be adjourned following proceedings Friday, Aug. 22, as Lynskey told Brongers that he will make an application for adjournment to receive a medical report connected to the case. But Lynskey will know more as the trial moves on.
The last day of the trial is slated for Friday, Aug. 29.
