A New Brunswick man accused of striking and killing a Halifax man with his car last winter has waived his right to a preliminary inquiry.

Wray Hart, 62, died last Jan. 27 after he was mowed down on a sidewalk on Queen Street in south-end Halifax by an out-of-control Toyota Corolla.

Dennis Donald James Patterson, 23, an MBA student at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, faces four charges from the crash — impaired driving causing death, causing death by driving with a blood alcohol level above .08, dangerous driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death.

Patterson has elected to be tried by a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge.

A preliminary inquiry was to be held Thursday in Halifax provincial court, but defence lawyer Stan MacDonald announced his client wished to forgo the hearing.

“After discussions with Mr. Patterson, we’ve decided to waive the necessity for a preliminary inquiry and consent to committal to Supreme Court on all four charges,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald will appear in Supreme Court on Patterson’s behalf on Feb. 14 to begin the process of setting trial dates.

Patterson was released on cash bail of $5,000 last January and ordered to reside at a condominium on South Bland Street — about 400 metres from the crash scene — or with his parents in Quispamsis, N.B.

The young man is banned from operating a motor vehicle and from possessing or consuming alcohol or drugs.

Hart was a familiar face in the south end, where he could be seen collecting recyclable cans and bottles.

A friend told reporters last spring that living on the margins of society gave Hart clarity about life.

“He absorbed everything around him and relayed it in a way that kind of gave you hope,” Robert O’Neill said of Hart.

“Regardless of what your income, race or orientation was, he always … made time for people. He was a father figure.

“He was a beacon of empathy in a very apathetic environment.”