A December trial date has been set for a Burnaby man charged with second-degree murder in the April 11, 2023 stabbing death of 17-year-old Ethan Bespflug on a Surrey bus.

Ethan died in hospital after being stabbed while riding the Route 503 bus in the 9900-block of King George Boulevard.

Kaiden Mintenko, 20, is the accused. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Feb. 9 in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster, where a jury will be selected on Nov. 28. Mintenko鈥檚 trial is set for Dec. 2 to Dec. 20.

His preliminary inquiry was heard in Surrey provincial court this past December. A preliminary inquiry is typically held when an accused person elects to be tried in Supreme Court, with the purpose of determining if the Crown has sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.

There are publication bans on information heard by the court related to that hearing and bail hearings.