Christopher Lucas, 27, of Toronto has pleaded not guilty to a single count of second-degree murder in the death of two people on January 19, 2021.
Juliana Pannunzio, of Essex, was just 20 years old when she was shot to death at a house party in Fort Erie.
Her friend, Christina Crooks, 18, of Toronto was also killed.
The Trial
Jury selection started Monday at the Welland Superior Courthouse, more than three hours from Essex County.
"Anxious. Apprehensive. Worried," is how Pannunzio's mom Lisa Brazeau describes her emotions going into the start of the trial. "(We're) very concerned about what we're going to see, what we're going to hear, how things are going to play out," 'bonus' mom Shellie Pannunzio told CTV News.
The women have sat through every court appearance since charges were first laid by Niagara Regional Police back in late August 2021.
"We weren't there for her final moments. We want to know every everything that she did that night. We want to understand what her mindset was," Pannunzio says.
Both are aware of how difficult some of the evidence might be.
"We're going to sit side by side," Brazeau says. "Sometimes she's the strong person. Sometimes I'm the strong person. So, I think between the two of us, we're going to make one person."
The Grief Journey
Although interviewed separately and at different times, both mothers say whatever the outcome, they need the court process to end so they can really begin to grieve the loss of the girl they both describe as "spunky".
"We need some type of closure; we need to at least put this chapter behind us. So that we can properly start to heal it in a positive manner, because we haven't been able to do that as of yet," Pannunzio says.
"We're still stuck back at devastation and anger," Brazeau says. "We have to process that (the verdict) and then incorporate that into our new days and weeks and months."
For them both, any court outcome doesn't change the one thing they want most in the world; for Juliana to still be alive.