Harley Lawrence preliminary inquiry to begin in February

The preliminary hearing for two men accused of killing a homeless man in a rural Nova Scotia community has been set for February.

The seven-day preliminary hearing for Daniel Wayne Surette and Kyle David James Fredericks will begin Feb. 9 in Kentville provincial court.

They each face a charge of first-degree murder in the death of 62-year-old Harley Lawrence.

Defence attorneys for Surette and Fredericks consented to a trial for second-degree murder in Lawrence's death, saying the Crown must prove it was first-degree murder.

Lawrence's body was found on Oct. 23 in a burned-out bus shelter in Berwick, a small town about 120 kilometres northwest of Halifax.

The defence attorneys and the Crown had previously disagreed on how long a preliminary inquiry would take, so the judge agreed to set the case over.

Police have released few details about the case, including how Lawrence died.