A preliminary hearing is underway at the Sudbury Courthouse for a 31-year-old Webbwood man charged with first-degree murder.
Joseph Michael Pollard, who is also facing charges of causing an indignity to human remains and arson causing damage to a residence, is in custody.
The Espanola OPP and Sables-Spanish Rivers Fire Department responded to a fire at the Agnew Lake residence about 8:30am on April 3rd, 2017.
Once the fire was extinguished, a person was found dead in the home, police said.
The Espanola OPP and the North Regional Crime Unit conducted the investigation, with help from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office.
Pollard’s first-degree murder charge, which was read out in court Monday, named Alicia Armstrong as the homicide victim.
Armstrong, who was also the mother of three children, was 32 at the time of her death.
Both the Crown and defence are expected to call several witnesses for the hearing which is expected to take a few weeks.
