A Cavan man appeared in the dock of Belfast Crown Court on Monday where he denied the historic murder of a part-time member of the UDR.
James Donegan, who is 68 and from Bruce Manor in Arvagh, had three charges levelled at him including the murder of Joseph Porter.
A farmer and part-time UDR member, Mr Porter (64) was shot and killed close to his home on the Creggan Road in Mountnorris, Co Armagh in June 1979.
After entering the dock, Donegan was charged with murdering Joseph James Porter on a date between June 22 and 25, 1979.
When asked by a court clerk if he pleaded guilty or not guilty to the murder charge, Donegan replied “not guilty”.
He was then charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, namely a Ruger Mini 14 rifle and assorted cartridges, on a date unknown between June 22 and 25, 1979, with intent to endanger life.
Donegan again replied “not guilty” when asked to enter a plea to the firearms charge.
In addition, the accused was charged with belonging to the Irish Republican Army within the same time frame as the other two charges and pleaded “not guilty”.
Following this, a Crown barrister told Mr Justice Fowler a list of “agreed witnesses” had been sent to the defence, 11 of whom are now deceased.
A defence barrister then revealed he would be seeking a fingerprint expert.
Mr Justice Fowler set a date for the three-week trial to start on February 8, 2027 but said he would review the case on September 18.
After no objections were raised, Donegan was released on continuing bail.