Murder trial begins in death of Halifax yoga teacher

The trial of a man accused of killing a Halifax yoga teacher has begun in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

Nicholas Jordan Butcher, 35, is facing a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Kristin Johnston, who he'd been in a relationship with. He has pleaded not guilty.

Johnston, originally from Montreal, had owned and run Bikram Yoga Halifax. She was 32 when she was found dead at her home in the Purcells Cove area on March 26, 2016.

Jury selection for the trial began on Tuesday morning in a Halifax courtroom. By the end of the day, nine women and seven men had been picked to hear the case against Butcher.

The pretrial publicity surrounding the case meant each prospective juror was questioned about what they'd heard and whether they can put that aside and decide the matter based only on the evidence they hear during the trial.

Justice Joshua Arnold gave the jury brief instructions before dismissing them for the day.

"As the trial proceeds, you may discuss the case among yourselves when all of you are together in your jury room. You must not, however, come to any conclusions about the case during those discussions," said Arnold, who also told jury members not to discuss the case with friends or family.

"Keep an open mind. The time to decide the case is after, not before, you have heard all of the evidence and listened to the lawyers on both sides and my instructions about the law that applies to the evidence."

Crown to call about 40 witnesses

Arnold told the jury they would hear more lengthy instructions Wednesday morning, followed by the Crown's opening statement.

Butcher, wearing a navy suit with his brown hair buzzed, sat quietly and expressionless next to his lawyers, Peter Planetta and Jonathan Hughes, during the jury selection process.

Planetta said his client, who is a graduate of Dalhousie University's law school, "recognizes the gravity of the situation and the importance of the trial."

Outside of court, prosecutor Carla Ball said the Crown will call about 40 witnesses. Tanya Carter is also prosecuting the case.

The case is expected to last about 20 days.