Bosma slaying suspects back in court Sept. 12

Dellen Millard and Mark Smich, the men charged with killing Tim Bosma, will appear in court on Sept. 12 to set a date for a judicial pretrial.

That was the result of brief, separate appearances in a Hamilton court for Millard and Smich on Thursday.

Millard, who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of man from Ancaster, Ont.,was wearing grey dress pants and a white shirt when he appeared Thursday morning. He did not speak during his court appearance, and stood silently with his hands folded in front of him and briefly looked around the courtroom.

Smich appeared via video link from the Niagara Detention Centre, wearing an orange jumpsuit.

Lawyers for Millard and Smich are seeking further disclosure from the Crown.

Bosma's wife, Sharlene, was in the courtroom today along with family and friends. It was the first time she has attended a court appearance for either ofthe suspects in her husband's slaying, and she told reporters outside the courthousethat it likely won't be the last.

Bosma said she is there "to be a voice for Tim, since he can't be here himself. As much as I possibly can, I'm going to be here to represent him."

It was an emotionally exhausting day, said Bosma, who announced a charity called Tim's Tribute this week to benefit families of homicide victims.

"I'm tired. Very tired," she said.

• READ MORE:Sharlene Bosma launches charity in honour of slain husband, Tim

Tim Bosma, 32, had placed an ad online to sell his pickup truck and was last seen taking two strangers on a test drive in May. Police announced that his badly burned remains were found about a week later in Waterloo Region.

Both Millard and Smich have indicated they plan to plead not guilty to the charges related to Bosma's death. The two could be tried together, said Deepak Paradkar, Millard's lawyer.

"He's holding up,"Paradkar said of his client. "He's in jail. He's not complaining about it. He's well-treated by jail authorities."

Paradkar said his client was likely unaware that Sharlene Bosma was in the courtroom.

"I just found that out myself," he said. "We weren't aware of it."

Donations toTim's Tributecan be made directly to Christian Stewardship Services, Suite 214A - 500 Alden Rd., Markham, Ont., L3R 5H5, payable to CSS with the memo notated to "Tim's Tribute."