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Denecho King murder trial set to begin today

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Accused murderer Denecho King, photographed outside the Yellowknife Courthouse one year ago, has decided to be tried by a judge alone. A jury trial could have required a jury pool of as many as 2,000 people, possibly the most in NWT judicial history. King has pleaded not guilty to murder in the 2014 death of John Wifladt in Yellowknife. NNSL file photo

The trial for accused murderer Denecho King is set to begin in NWT Supreme Court this morning.

King, 25, is charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with an attack in late 2014 that left John Wifladt dead and injured another man.

The two victims were found in a Yellowknife apartment in the early hours of Dec. 14, 2014.

While in custody, waiting to be tried on the charges, King escaped the North Slave Correctional Centre on Aug. 10, 2016. The brazen daylight escape prompted a dramatic three-day police manhunt that ended when RCMP located King at his mother's home in Yellowknife, not far from the NSCC.

King has elected to be tried by a judge alone.

Stay tuned for updates on the trial throughout the day.