A jury trial is underway for a Chilliwack man charged with the murder of 64-year-old Holbert Tew in Mission on Dec. 14, 2022.

Matthew Bauer, 29, faces a second-degree murder charge following an investigation from the RCMP鈥檚 Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).

Bauer has pleaded not guilty to the charge and elected to be tried by jury. 

The trial began Monday (Jan. 13) at B.C. Supreme Court in Abbotsford and is scheduled to wrap up on Feb. 7.

On Monday, the judge provided the jury with instructions and an overview of their duties throughout the trial. 

The Crown lawyer also shared opening remarks and an agreed statement of facts, and called the first witness 鈥� a Mission RCMP officer. 

The charges stem from a fatal stabbing on Fourth Avenue in Mission near Mary Street at approximately 7 a.m. on Dec. 14, 2022 . 

Holbert 鈥淗olly鈥� Tew was living with his brother David in a longtime family residence in Mission at the time of the stabbing. 

On the day of his death, the Crown said Holbert fell asleep on a couch in the living room and didn鈥檛 check to make sure the doors were locked. 

According to the opening address, David Tew was awoken in the basement suite by loud noises and saw a man unknown to him standing at the top of the stairs. 

David confronted the man and saw his brother emerge during the confrontation, per the Crown. Holbert had been stabbed repeatedly with wounds to the head, neck and back, and blood was visible. 

The Crown said David grappled with the man and they fell, with both men biting each other in the struggle as well. The younger man gained the upper hand and David got away to call 911, per the opening remarks. 

First responders attempted life-saving efforts but Holbert was pronounced dead on scene. 

Neighbours reported someone going through their vehicles the same night while a security system at a nearby house captured someone in a baseball cap approaching their residence, the Crown says. 

According to the Crown鈥檚 opening statement, a baseball cap not belonging to the Tews was found in their residence that resembled the hat worn by the man in security footage. 

At the time, IHIT investigators identified 27-year-old Bauer as a suspect and arrested him on Jan. 6, with a second-degree murder charge coming the following day. 

The Crown told the jury it could expect testimony that includes David Tew, Mission RCMP officers, IHIT investigators, and a forensic pathologist that would prove Bauer鈥檚 guilt. A recording of a police interview with Bauer following his arrest is also expected. 

The agreed facts include Tew鈥檚 time of death, police photographs from the crime scene, recordings from neighbouring security cameras, fingerprints and DNA analysis. 

In his instructions to the jury, the judge said the Crown would present its evidence first. The defence would also have an opportunity to make an opening address if they choose to present evidence. 

鈥� With files from Jenna Hauck