The trial of Kyle Pflieger, accused in the murder of Karen Gottscalk-Millar in July, 2020, has been delayed yet again owing to a need to appoint a new defense solicitor. At the time of Ms. Gottscalk-Millar’s death, she was working in a supportive group home in Kemptville where Kyle Pflieger was a resident. He earned some money by selling his crochet work at the Farmers Market and in local supermarkets, where he was a familiar figure.
The group home was operated by Pathways to Independence, a community based, not for profit agency which provides supportive housing options, day and recreation programs, psychiatric counselling and behaviour therapy, court and justice related services and short-term respite to adults with a developmental disability, an acquired brain injury, or those who may be dually diagnosed.
Kyle Pflieger was arrested at the scene and was charged with second degree murder, as well as two counts of assaulting a police officer. The charges have not yet been proven, as his trial has been delayed on a number of occasions since his arrest. He has been held in custody at Brockville Jail since his arrest in 2020.
Preliminary hearings were scheduled for the last three months of 2021, but were each postponed. The trial co-ordinator for the Ontario Court of Justice has stated that the hearings did not proceed as scheduled due to “a change of solicitor for the accused.” As a result of having to find a new solicitor to represent Mr. Pflieger, the case will not now be heard until October of this year, two and a half years after his initial incarceration.