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Trent Butt pleads not guilty to murder, arson

A Carbonear man charged with killing his young daughter and then setting his home on fire has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and arson.
Trent Butt appears in a St. John's courtroom Wednesday to plead not guilty to charges that he killed his five-year-old daughter. (Glenn Payette/CBC)

A Carbonear man charged with killing his young daughter and then setting his home on fire has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and arson.

Trent Butt, 38, entered the pleas in the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court Wednesday morning.

Butt is accused of killing his five-year-old daughter Quinn during the early morning hours of April 24, 2016 and then setting his Hayden Heights home on fire.

A small child holding a stuffed animal
Quinn Butt, 5, died April 24, 2016 in Carbonear. Her father is charged with first-degree murder. (Facebook)

His trial — set for March 26, 2018 — is expected to take six to eight weeks, with 25-40 witnesses called.

Quinn Butt's mother, Andrea Gosse, was in court Wednesday, surrounded by family and supporters.