Iqaluit (Sep 18/06) - The trial of an Iqaluit man charged in the 2002 murder of 13-year-old Jennifer Naglingniq began this past week, a proceeding that is expected to take months to complete.

Mark King Jeffrey is charged with first degree murder in connection with the Dec. 5, 2002 death of Naglingniq.

His trial began in Iqaluit on Sept. 14, with Justice Earl Johnson imposing a ban on publication of any evidence or statements to the court.

"In this case, because it is complex and lengthy, they have agreed to proceed through voir dires - a trial within a trial - and at the conclusion I will deliver rulings. The purpose is to protect the jury pool," said Johnson.

Usually, voir dires happen during the trial itself. When the lawyers are arguing whether evidence should be allowed, the jury is asked to leave the room. The 31 voir dire applications in this case made that practise impractical.

Four weeks have been set aside for this first phase of the trial.

Crown attorneys brought 20 binders full of documents to the courtroom.

Jeffrey pleaded not guilty after having the charge read against him.

Three of four benches in the courtroom were filled with friends and family of the dead girl. Two court officials occupied the fourth bench, located directly behind the defence table.

Two uniformed RCMP officers and a court sheriff were in the courtroom for the duration. When a person entered the courtroom late, one of the RCMP officers examined his pockets.

The trial was scheduled to begin on Sept. 13, but Crown Attorney Susanne Boucher was suffering from the flu, causing a delayed.

As Boucher presented the Crown's case in her opening statement - which falls under the publication ban - Jeffrey stared straight ahead at the opposite wall. He occasionally turned to look at the people behind the Crown's table.

Friends and family of Naglingniq were located behind the defence table, out of Jeffrey's direct line of sight.

Through various stages of the opening statements, some spectators held their heads in their hands and fought back tears.

Once the voir dires are completed, a break will happen and a date will be set for the jury trial.

Jeffrey was arrested on March 24, 2003. Another man was arrested for the murder two weeks after Naglingniq's death, but was released due to lack of evidence.

The preliminary hearing in the case concluded at the end of March 2004.

In a 2005 interview with Nunavut News/North, Nicotye Naglingniq, discussed the pain she was going through as a result of the trial taking so long.

"It's been torture for me waiting this long. It's been delayed too many times. I think about it all the time. It has been torture waiting this long," said Nicotye.