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MAX Train Stabbing Suspect To Appear In Court Monday For Pretrial Hearings

The man accused of stabbing three men, killing two of them, on board a MAX train in Portland, Oregon, in 2017 is set to appear in a Multnomah County courtroom on Monday morning.

Jeremy Christian will be in court for several days of pre-trial hearings.

Prosecutors and Christian’s defense team will debate a series of motions that will define the scope of the trial set for late June 2019.

Christian has pleaded not guilty to a 15-count indictment that includes two counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted murder.

Taliesin Namkai-Meche and Ricky Best died in the attack. Portland State University student Micah Fletcher survived.

In Oregon, aggravated murder carries the possibility of the death penalty. The defense is set to raise questions about the constitutionally of the death penalty.

Judge Cheryl Albrecht, who is overseeing the trial, will hear arguments surrounding what evidence will be heard at trial as well as how the jury will be selected.

The hearing is expected to last two or three days.

Copyright 2018 Oregon Public Broadcasting

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Conrad Wilson is a reporter and producer covering criminal justice and legal affairs for OPB.