The Surrey Six murder trial broke suddenly Monday after a major development was announced that is covered by a new publication ban.
The trial of Cody Haevischer, Matthew Johnston and Michael Le was set to resume at 10 a.m. at the 91原创 Law Courts after a weeklong adjournment.
But just before a key Crown witness was scheduled to take the stand at 10 a.m., word spread in the public gallery that there would be a one-hour delay.
When court began again at 11 a.m., Justice Catherine Wedge imposed an interim ban on all submissions and evidence.
Relatives of Surrey Six victims Chris Mohan, Ed Schellenberg, Ryan Bartolomeo and brothers Corey and Michael Lal were all in court Monday for the news.
Only Mohan鈥檚 mother, Eileen, commented outside, saying she understood the reason for the publication ban and might be prepared to say more when the trial resumes.
Wedge adjourned the proceedings to 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The three accused are alleged to have plotted and carried out the murder of Corey Lal, a rival drug trafficker, on Oct. 19, 2007.
The trial, which began in B.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 30, has heard that Johnston, Haevischer and a man who can only be identified as Person X due to a publication ban, went to suite 1505 of the Balmoral Tower looking for Lal and ended up killing him and five others they came upon.
Le and accused killer Jamie Bacon are alleged to have been leaders of the Red Scorpion gang who ordered Lal鈥檚 killing over a turf dispute and his refusal to pay a $100,000 debt.
Bacon is being tried separately at a later date.
All three accused were arrested in 2009 and have been in custody ever since.
