Travis Vader trial starts 2 hours late; accused apologizes for vehicle problems

Travis Vader was once again late for his double murder trial Tuesday, again blaming the delay on vehicle trouble.

Vader, 44, pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Lyle and Marie McCann from St. Albert.

The McCanns, who were in their late 70s, were last seen fuelling up their motorhome in their hometown near Edmonton on July 3, 2010. The motorhome was found on fire about 200 kilometres west of the city two days later.

READ MORE: ‘I plead not guilty to that charge’: Travis Vader at start of McCann murder trial

Vader’s trial was scheduled to resume Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. after the Easter long weekend. The McCann family and other court spectators waited while RCMP tracked him on his GPS tracking ankle device.

Two hours later, at 11:30 a.m., Vader made his way into the courtroom.

Vader’s lawyer Brian Beresh apologized and told the court there were "multiple vehicle problems."

Justice Denny Thomas demanded an explanation from Vader.

"This is a pretty serious delay we’re causing," he told Vader.

"I am sorry for being late," Vader replied.

Vader said he had three vehicle break downs. The first issue was a spark plug, the second was a brake line in a different vehicle. Then, while driving on his way to court in a 1988 Ford "farm truck," he said he had a flat tire and had to stop to change it.

READ MORE: Day 4 of Travis Vader trial delayed because accused’s car broke down

This isn’t the first delay due to car problems. On March 14, the trial was delayed because Vader’s vehicle broke down.

A few days later, Vader was also late arriving at court because of problems with his ankle-tracking device.

The double murder trial was scheduled for five to six weeks but is behind schedule.

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