A woman accused of leaving the scene of a deadly accident near Fredericton will have her court appearance delayed by three weeks. Vanessa Ricketson, 27, faces charges related to the death of a 19-year-old man from Norton. Originally set to choose a trial method in Fredericton provincial court on Tuesday, Ricketson was absent from the proceedings, represented by defense attorney Shane Hill, standing in for Emily Cochrane. Allegations suggest she drove away after fatally hitting the man, who had stopped on the Trans-Canada Highway near Oromocto to change a tire. Hill requested a postponement to allow for the disclosure of evidence, with the new court date now scheduled for September 1, as decided by Judge Lyne Raymond.
The victim remains unidentified by the police, but it was mentioned earlier that he had taken safety precautions, such as pulling over sufficiently, wearing a reflective vest, and activating the vehicle’s hazard lights. The RCMP did not respond to inquiries on whether Ricketson was the individual of interest identified by the police shortly after the incident on March 19. Ricketson was formally charged nearly four months after the event, and the police confirmed she is not currently in their custody.