Lynn Lau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Apr 29/02) - The case of the young Inuvik couple charged with the murder of a hotel night clerk will go to trial.

Ronald Frank Sayers, 22, and Shelly Marie Elanik, 18, appeared in court April 22 through 25 in Inuvik for their preliminary inquiry. After hearing three and a half days of testimony and arguments, territorial court Judge Peter Ayotte ruled that there is enough evidence to commit the pair to stand trial. A court date still has to be set.

In January, Sayers and Elanik were jointly charged with second-degree murder in the death of Keith Blair, a 46-year-old disabled man who worked at the Mackenzie Hotel. Blair's body was found the morning of Oct. 17, 2001.

During the hearing, 12 witnesses testified, including relatives and friends of the co-accused, two police officers, employees of the Mackenzie Hotel, and a passerby who had been at the hotel the night Blair was killed. The third day of the trial was consumed with a seven-hour voir dire, in which the judge considered the admissibility of evidence. There is a ban on publication of evidence from the preliminary hearing.

Elanik is represented by high-profile criminal lawyer John Bayly, who was recently in the headlines for his involvement in the Jane Groenewegen conflict of interest scandal. Sayers is being represented by lawyer Robert Gorin. Elanik's parents, Sandra and Archie Elanik, were present throughout the hearing, as were family members of the victim's widow, Ingrid Binder.

Originally from Aklavik, Sayers and Elanik have an infant son together. According to a family friend, Elanik and the child had only recently moved to Inuvik, where Sayers was working as a labourer with WesternGeco.

After the hearing, Elanik's bail was continued, while Sayers was returned to custody, where he has remained since his arrest.