Murder trial for N.S. battle rapper’s death underway, jury selected

The jury has been chosen for the second-degree murder trial in the death of Dartmouth, N.S., rapper Pat Stay.

Justice Scott Norton thanked 195 potential jurors who were in attendance on Monday as the second-degree murder trial in Pat Stay’s death got underway.

By the end of the day, a jury of 16 people – including two alternates – was selected.

The Dartmouth battle rapper was killed just after midnight on Sept. 4, 2022 at a downtown bar. He was 36 years old.

Adam Joseph Drake, who was 31 at the time, was arrested six days later and charged with Stay’s murder.

The Upper Tantallon, N.S., native officially entered a not guilty plea to the second-degree murder charge before the jury on Monday. About five weeks have been set aside for the trial.

The Crown will make opening statements Tuesday afternoon.

Jury selection

On Monday, a court staffer told the judge that 800 summonses were issued for the jury trial.

Fifty-five people were deferred; 245 were exempt; 195 people were in attendance Monday and 305 people were absent.

Justice Norton asked sheriffs to investigate their absences.

“Jury duty is both a responsibility and a privilege,” he told potential jurors.

“I have decided that it is in the interest of justice to choose 14 jurors due to the length of the trial, to ensure there is a full jury available when deliberations begin,” said Justice Norton.

Twelve jurors will decide on the verdict.

Norton outlined possible reasons for exemptions to the nearly-200 people in attendance before jury selection began at Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Dartmouth.

After exemptions were addressed, those who remained were asked a series of questions by Norton before he determined if they would serve as a juror or be dismissed.

Questions were asked about their prior knowledge of the case, if they had any preconceived opinions about the case and Drake’s fate, and they had to agree to not research the case or follow media coverage, and to not discuss it with anyone other than fellow jurors.

The trial was supposed to begin eight months ago, but it was delayed after Adam Drake’s lead defence lawyer, Ian Hutchison, was appointed to the bench in September.

The judge told the courtrooms and overflow room of people the trial would sit weekdays – with the exception of Victoria Day – and is anticipated to last until approximately June 18.

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