A 2028 jury trial has been scheduled for a southeast New Brunswick man accused in connection with the d***h of his spouse. The accused, Alex Beers, faces charges related to the d***h of Hyde Jochelman. He has not been convicted of the allegations and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. As the legal process moves forward, the case remains one that continues to draw close attention.

by

2028 jury trial set for southeast N.B. man accused of killing spouse

Alex Beers, 42, faces charges related to death of Hyde Jochelman

A woman poses for a photo
Hyde Jochelman died sometime between November 2020 and October 2021. Her common-law spouse, Alex Beers, has been charged with murder, confinement and failing to provide the necessities of life. (New Brunswick RCMP)

A southeast New Brunswick man accused of killing his common-law spouse five years ago will be tried by a judge and jury in early 2028.

Alex Beers, 42, is charged with the first-degree murder of Hyde Jochelman between Nov. 18, 2020, and Oct. 27, 2021, confining her between those same dates and failing to provide the 33-year-old the necessities of life during that time.

The offences are alleged to have occurred in Saint-Paul, a rural area about 30 kilometres north of Moncton.

Beers briefly appeared in Moncton’s Court of King’s Bench on Monday, when dates for pre-trial hearings and the trial itself were set.

Voir dires, hearings about the admissibility of evidence, were scheduled for Nov. 15-27, 2027.

The jury trial itself was set for Jan. 10 to Feb. 18, 2028.

Prosecutor Cathleen Trafton said the dates were acceptable for the Crown.

Beers’s defence lawyer, Gilles Lemieux, said he is available on those dates, “but they are awfully far away.”

A multi-storey stone building in the background with a sign in the foreground saying "Palais de Justice Moncton Law Courts."
A jury trial for Beers is scheduled to begin in early 2028 in Moncton. (Shane Magee/CBC)

Justice Christa Bourque agreed but said Moncton has a series of jury trials back-to-back, and only two judges are available.

“We’re waiting for our third full-time judge to be available for dates,” Bourque said. “So, yes, they are late, but I think it’s still in compliance, and sounds like you’re available.”

Court of King’s Bench justices are appointed by the federal government. A vacancy in Moncton arose last fall when Justice Robert Dysart was appointed to New Brunswick’s Court of Appeal.

Court statistics show Moncton jury trials expected to last longer than 10 days faced delays of 18 months, similar to Saint John and Fredericton. Woodstock had the longest delays for a trial of that length, at 25 months.

A 2016 Supreme Court of Canada decision set time limits for trials to be heard. The Jordan ruling set ceilings for most cases of 18 months in provincial court and 30 months in superior courts such as the Court of King’s Bench.

Beers was charged Feb. 11, 2026, meaning the 30-month ceiling would be in August 2028.

  • Man accused of confining, killing spouse in southeast N.B.

  • RCMP investigating woman’s 2021 death as a homicide

New Brunswick RCMP issued a news release in February saying officers were called to a home in the Saint-Paul area northwest of Shediac around 2:35 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2021, after a report of a sudden death.

Jochelman was found dead, police said.

Thẩm phán Tòa án Tối cao Mỹ được bổ nhiệm ra sao?

RCMP said that between 2022 and 2024, new information led to her death being deemed suspicious and a homicide.

Police previously described Jochelman as “a vulnerable person who relied on others for care,” but they did not go into detail.

Police have not released Jochelman’s cause of death, but said it was “complex” with “multiple contributing factors.”