The trial for a Red Deer man who has been charged with murder in connection to the death of a Calgary woman in 2012 was set to get under way in Red Deer’s Court of Queen’s Bench last week, but has been rescheduled to 2017.

Nathan Desharnais, 26, has been charged with second degree murder and offering indignity to human remains after the body of Talia Nellie Meguinis, 27, was found at a recycling facility in the Riverside Industrial area on Feb. 22nd, 2012 after police received a complaint at about 9:28 a.m. of a deceased female.

Red Deer City RCMP General Investigation Section and Red Deer Forensic Identification Section were called in to assist with the investigation. After further investigation, RCMP said Meguinis was not murdered in the location her body was found. Police have said they believe Desharnais and Meguinis had just met the weekend she was murdered. She was traveling back home to Calgary from northern Alberta and stopped in Red Deer to visit family.

The four-week trial will now be held from Jan. 23rd, 2017-Feb. 17th, 2017.

Desharnais’ arrest is a result of an extensive seven-month investigation that involved the Red Deer RCMP General Investigation Section, Major Crimes Unit, Forensic Identification Unit, Victims Services and the Police Dog Service. The Calgary MCU, the ‘K’ Division Special Tactical Operations, Polygraph Sections in Calgary and Edmonton, the Calgary Police Service, and the Tsuu T’ina police also assisted. There were 40 investigators who were dedicated to this case with more than 25,000 man-hours spent on the investigation.

Meanwhile, in June of 2014, Desharnais was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison after being charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault and unlawful confinement and imprisonment as a result of an incident that took place at his Red Deer home in June of 2012.

The charge of unlawful confinement was dropped by the court after the crown stayed the charge.

He is currently in custody serving that sentence.

efawcett@reddeerexpress.com