A Barrie man accused in a historic killing will be standing trial on second-degree murder next year.
Robert MacQueen was charged two years ago in the 1994 stabbing death of Katherine Janeiro.
The 20-year-old mother of a two-year-old daughter was found dead on Monday, Oct. 10, 1994 from multiple stab wounds in her Dunlop Street West apartment.
Her daughter had been visiting her parents at the time.
Police have previously said Janeiro suffered multiple stab wounds and succumbed to her injuries prior to being found in her basement apartment by friends.
The case remained unsolved for the intervening decades until MacQueen’s arrest on Huronia Road in January 2021. He was initially charged with first-degree murder.
Police at the time of his arrest said Janeiro and MacQueen, who was also known as "Bruce Ellis," knew each other and that a tip in 2019 led to him being taken into custody.
In 1994, Barrie police began an investigation with help from the Ontario Provincial Police's Forensic Identification Bureau.
The case was turned over to the OPP in October 1999 in order to use investigative techniques not available to city police at the time.
In February 2012, the investigation was turned back over to city police.
MacQueen has opted for a jury trial. It is scheduled for seven weeks, starting Sept. 3, 2024, Superior Court Justice Michelle Fuerst confirmed during a court appearance this week.
Pre-trial motions are scheduled to take place next year in May, June and July leading up to the trial.
None of the allegations against MacQueen have been tested in court.
