Reynold Roberts, the man charged with the murder of his common law wife, Luann Roberts, 42, a Family Court counsellor, has pleaded not guilty.
Roberts, 40, of Harmony Hall, also pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and kidnapping of another woman when he was arraigned on Tuesday, at High Court No. 1, before Justices Brian Cottle and Rickie Burnett.
He is alleged to have committed the offences at Harmony Hall on May 1, 2022.
Roberts’ body was found in her car in Buccament Bay on May 1, 2022.
Prosecutor Rene Simmons told the court that the Crown was not ready for trial but was of the view that the matter could benefit from case management.
She suggested that it be kept in these assizes.
Meanwhile, defence counsel Duane Daniel told the court that he had just recently been instructed.
He said that while he had the deposition, he was still awaiting disclosure of police statements and made an application in that regard.
Daniel said he intends to make certain representation with the prosecution for the better management of the matter, saying there are some issues that might possibly need to be explored.
The lawyer said he anticipates it will take some time, adding that he did not anticipate that given the trend of one of the applications he intends to make and the response to it that the matter is not going to be ready before the end of December — when the assizes end.
Daniel said that while Roberts is in custody, he would like all options to be available to his client in respect of entering his plea if a particular course of action is to be adopted.
The lawyer said that in order for Roberts to be properly advised those negotiations would have to be undertaken with the DPP’s office.
Another issue in the case is a psychiatric evaluation of Roberts.
The government had contracted an Indian psychiatrist, who, among other things, was to evaluate people accused of serious crimes.
However, the psychiatrist left the job after just two months because of the workload.
Correction: This article was updated to reflect that Reynold Roberts and Luann Roberts were in a common law relationship and were not married.