A new lawyer will represent a man charged with the first-degree murder of a Newmarket resident after he was found fit to stand trial.
Phillip Rulli appeared in an Ontario Court of Justice judge-led intensive case management courtroom via video on Oct. 4 to answer the charge.
Rulli and his new lawyer, Darrel Hotz, are scheduled to attend court on Oct. 7.
“Darrel Hotz has been appointed, as for my understanding,” said Scott Pearl, assistant Crown attorney. “He has accepted the appointment. I spoke with him over email this morning. He can’t attend today but requested that we adjourn the matter until Monday to attend.”
Rulli returned to court after meeting with a doctor from the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences to determine whether he was fit to stand trial and whether he understood the legal process. The Crown filed a Form 48 fitness assessment of the Criminal Code on Sept. 28, concerned about his mental capacity after he made comments lambasting counsel and admitted to the crime.
“The opinion of the report is that the accused is fit,” said Pearl.
Rulli was scheduled to be represented by criminal defence lawyer Don Carter but he had not been retained.
Carter was previously brought in to assist Rulli with his case and requested some time to review the disclosure on Sept. 16.
Justice of the Peace Tina Rotondi previously issued a bench warrant on Sept. 13 after Rulli did not show up in Newmarket Superior Court on his own accord.
Rulli was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Dennis Sweet, 66, in an apartment building at Timothy and Prospect streets in Newmarket.
York Regional Police were called to the building for a welfare check on Sept. 2, where they found Sweet, who had been stabbed and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accused and the victim were known to each other, police said.
