Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 22/05) - A convicted killer who stands accused of murdering his parole officer appeared Monday in a Yellowknife courtroom for the opening day of his preliminary hearing.

Eli Ulayuk sat quietly beside his lawyer and doodled on a note pad while nearly a dozen people watched from the gallery - including the partner of slain officer Louise Pargeter.

Ulayuk, who appeared in court with shaggy black hair and a sparse goatee, is charged with first degree murder in connection with her death. Pargeter is believed to be the first Canadian parole officer killed while on duty.

According to earlier media reports, her body was discovered in a Range Lake apartment building last October. Police arrested Ulayuk several hours later, following a high-speed chase along Highway 3.

Security was relatively tight for the preliminary hearing Monday, with a police officer not more than two metres from the diminutive Ulayuk.

Crown attorney John Cliffe said Ulayuk was under "special handling" at a federal facility in Quebec before being transferred to Yellowknife for the hearing.

Cliffe told the court about 35 witnesses would be called during the preliminary hearing, which is scheduled to last three weeks.

Territorial Court Judge Brian Bruser will decide whether there is enough evidence to order Ulayuk to stand trial on the murder charge.

Conviction carries a minimum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years.

A publication ban was placed on the facts surrounding the case - normal procedure for a preliminary hearing.

Ulayuk pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the 1988 slaying of an Iglulik woman. He spent nearly a decade behind bars before being released in 2000.

His parole was revoked twice for what officials described as "violent and aggressive" behaviour.

He was granted full parole in June 2004.

Before the hearing Monday, Ulayuk was a picture of calm, standing in handcuffs outside the Yellowknife courthouse where he smoked a cigarette with another prisoner.

Pargeter's memorial service was a large event, filling Weledeh school gymnasium.