Hamilton man charged with murder of Niagara winemaker Paul Pender appears in court

The man charged with second-degree murder for the killing of a renowned Niagara Region winemaker, will now appear in the court in late April, the Ontario Court of Justice ruled Tuesday.

The hearing was pushed by five weeks until April 26 as Bradley House, 31, was unable to attain a not criminally responsible (NCR) assessment on time. The assessment would help determine if the accused was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the offence.

On Feb. 3, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) found Paul Pender, 54, dead outside his Lake Erie cottage near Selkirk. House, a Hamilton resident, was arrested in connection with Pender's death.

Pender and House didn't know each other, the police had confirmed.

The police had also reported that there was more than one crime scene on the street the night Pender was found dead.

The accused is currently residing at the Hamilton detention centre.

House made a court appearance through a phone call Tuesday. Kristian Ferreira, speaking on behalf of House's lawyer Beth Bromberg, requested the court to adjourn the hearing for the next two weeks to get access to another bed (at the hospital) to do the (NCR) assessment." The order for assessment was already underway.

In response, justice of the peace Donald Dudar said that it's not a good use of court's time," and emphasized that there is no purpose in bringing (House) to the court," inviting the lawyer to schedule a hearing at least five weeks from today.

Pender was known for his work at Tawse Winery in Vineland. His work brought fame to the winery, earning four awards as the Canadian Winery of the Year between 2010 and 2016. Pender was also awarded Winemaker of the Year at the Ontario Wine Awards in 2011.

The Ontario Wine Awards introduced a winemaking memorial award earlier this month to honour Pender's work in the wine industry.

Ritika Dubey is a reporter at The Spectator. rdubey@thespec.com