A Niles Township man charged with murder appeared before Berrien County Judge Donna Howard for a preliminary exam conference Wednesday morning at the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph.

Court council determined that John Lewis will undergo a preliminary exam at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 25, at the Berrien County Courthouse, 811 Port St., St. Joseph.

The preliminary exam is a probable cause hearing. Witnesses will be called to testify and the prosecutor will seek to establish evidence that a felony has been committed, while showing that there is probable cause to believe that the accused is responsible.

During the conference Wednesday, Lewis was seated next to Chief Public Defender Carl Macpherson.

“There are a number of witnesses that the prosecution finds to be presented,” Macpherson said. “We anticipate this taking a half day, if not a full day.”

The conference Wednesday lasted approximately six minutes and court council spent most of it deciding how they would comply with a number of schedules to complete the anticipated lengthy preliminary exam.

In August, Lewis was charged with first degree pre-meditated murder, after his wife, Carla Lewis, was fatally shot at the couple’s home in the 1400 block of Lawndale Ave. If proven guilty, Lewis could serve a mandatory prison sentence of life without parole for the felony crime.