SCHREIBER, Ont. - The charge against a man in connection to a murder 18 years ago in Schreiber has been stayed.
Nicholas Stasula, 48, was first arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police in April 2020 and charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of Jeanine St. Jean.
St. Jean was found deceased in her Quebec Street home in Schreiber the afternoon of Nov. 29, 2006. Investigators with the Schreiber OPP ruled her death suspicious.
The investigation continued over the next 14 years before Stasula was arrested and charged.
Stasula was committed to stand trial on the second-degree murder charge following a preliminary hearing held in February 2022.
But during a hearing held in June of this year, the Crown said after a thorough review of the case and giving the matter careful consideration, it concluded there was no reasonable prospect of conviction and terminated the prosecution.
The second-degree murder charge against Stasula was stayed by the presiding judge.
The Ministry of the Attorney General said when assessing the prospect of conviction, the Crown considers several factors, including the availability of evidence implicating the accused person and the circumstances specific to each charge in any particular matter.