Highland Park murder trial delayed until fall 2027
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A trial for a man accused of killing a Brandon woman in 2023 has been pushed back by more than a year.
Stephen Teetaert, 45, was slated to begin his five-day trial for second-degree murder on Tuesday in Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench.
However, defence lawyer Tony Kavanagh requested a three-to-four-month adjournment and said there’s a “new expert that I’m communicating with.”
Teetaert is charged in the death of 63-year-old Cheryl Mansoff, whose body was found inside a home in Highland Park Mobile Home Estates on Sept. 2, 2023.
Court heard the issue of whether Teetaert was criminally responsible would be raised during the trial, and Kavanagh was trying to obtain a second report regarding his client’s defence.
An assessment for a not criminally responsible application had previously been ordered in September 2023.
Crown attorneys Yaso Mathu and Carla Dewer were not in agreement with the adjournment.
“The family of the victim is here, they’re all present in court. As you know, they have waited a long time to have this matter heard in court and receive some form of justice or conclusion to this matter,” Mathu said.
She said the Crown was ready to proceed.
Mathu said Kavanagh has indicated for the last year that he was looking to obtain a second report, and it’s “very unfortunate that that did not bear out.”
Justice Elliot Leven granted the adjournment request, and the trial was reset for Nov. 1-5, 2027, which were the earliest dates available in Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench for a five-day trial.
Kavanagh said he and his client would waive the delay, meaning defence would take responsibility for the time that elapses between now and the trial, and it will not count toward the constitutional time limit for an accused’s case to be heard.
That time limit is 30 months in Court of King’s Bench.
Kavanagh also had previously applied to withdraw as Teetaert’s lawyer as the accused said he wanted to represent himself at one point, but Kavanagh conceded on Tuesday that he will continue to represent the accused, which Teetaert confirmed in court.
Following the discovery of Mansoff’s body by members of the Brandon Police Service, BPS said it appeared the woman had been assaulted with multiple weapons that caused severe injuries.
Teetaert was living in the victim’s home but was not related nor in a domestic relationship with her, police said.
» sanderson@brandonsun.com