A man convicted of two counts of murder for the deaths of two women near Falher last December will next return after over one year since the incident.

Edward John Chomiak, 49, of Nampa, appeared in Peace River Provincial Court on July 4 via closed-circuit television and was scheduled to appear Dec. 21 for a preliminary hearing to determine if the case has enough evidence to proceed to trial.

This was the first appearance for his new lawyer after Chomiak dismissed his first lawyer.

After appearing in court several times, he was scheduled by Judge J.R. McIntosh to return to court in December as a result of several delays and a variety of circumstances.

Chomiak faces first-degree and second-degree murder charges in connection with the deaths of is former wife Melody (Perry) Chomiak, 45, and her daughter Jerica Bouchard, 20, whose bodies were discovered in a rural residence on Dec. 15, 2010.

Chomiak has remained in custody since he was charged last December.