Former fugitive Steven Skinner makes brief court appearance

An accused murderer who spent more than five years on the run made his first appearance in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax on Thursday to set the stage for his judge and jury trial.

Steven Douglas Skinner, 44, is charged with second-degree murder in the 2011 death of Stacey Adams, who was shot and killed in front of a home in Lake Echo, N.S.

Skinner fled town shortly after the killing and was arrested in Venezuela in May2016. He was returned to Canada last summer.

During his brief court appearance on Thursday morning, Skinner let his lawyer, Stan MacDonald, do most of the talking.

Skinner appeared paler than when Venezuelan police posed him in front of a wall, shirtless and covered in sand, to tweet a picture of his arrest.

Earlier this year, Skinner was committed to stand trial following a preliminary inquiry in provincial court in Dartmouth.

Lawyers will meet in a couple of weeks to discuss logistics for the trial. They'll return to court on April 12 to set trial dates.