The court is to move in February to see if the case of murder of two US missionaries, for which two St Mary men have been charged, should go directly to the Circuit Court for trial.
The committal proceedings hearing for the two men charged in relation to the murder of two US missionaries in April, is set for February 16, 2017.
The prosecution took this decision when both men appeared before the St Mary 
Parish Court on Thursday, September 1.
In addition, the two men have been appointed attorneys by the Legal Aid Council.
Charged with the murders are: 25-year-old Dwight Henry, otherwise called ‘Dougie’ and ‘Chino’, of Wentworth, and 25-year-old Andre Thomas of Port Maria, both in St Mary.
They are charged with the murders of US missionaries – Forty-eight-year-old Randy Hentzel, and 53-year-old Harold Nichols.
In court on Thursday, it was revealed that Henry’s attorney is Jacqueline Asher, who will be assisted by her junior attorney, Kerry Ann Duhaney.
Thomas’ attorney is Leroy Equiano and he had his junior attorney Althea Freeman holding in his absence.
Asher requested the preliminary report into the case on behalf of herself and Equiano.
In the meantime, with the settling of both men’s legal representation, a timeline was later set by the crown prosecutor in accordance with the new Committal Proceedings Act (CPA).
The bundles are to be served on the attorneys on or before October 27, while both co-accused are to return to court on December 1 when the case is to be mentioned.
The committal proceedings hearing into the matter, to determine if a prima facie case can be made out against both men, will be held on February 16, 2017.
If a prima facie case is made out against both accused men, the matter will be transferred to the St Mary Circuit Court.
Henry and Thomas were remanded into custody until December 1 by St Ann Parish Judge Vaughn Facey, who was exercising jurisdiction in the parish of St Mary.
Randy Hentzel and Harold Nichols of US outreach group, TEAMS for Medical Missions were found dead in Albion Mountain district in St Mary on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1, respectively.
The two were reportedly last seen alive when they left Tower Isle on motorcycles about 8:00 am on Saturday, April 30.
Residents found their bodies, a day apart and close to each other.
Hentzel was found face down with the hands bound and Nichols’ body was found with his head bashed in.
Autopsies later showed that Hentzel died of a gunshot wound while Nichols had a gunshot and chop wounds.
US law enforcement officials participated with their Jamaican colleagues in the investigations into the crimes that attracted international attention.
