KENTVILLE, N.S. -- The court case for two men accused of killing a homeless man in a rural Nova Scotia community has been set over until September.

The hearing in Kentville provincial court Wednesday was expected to deal with setting dates for a preliminary hearing for Daniel Wayne Surette and Kyle David James Fredericks, who each face a charge of first-degree murder in the death of 62-year-old Harley Lawrence.

Lawrence's body was found Oct. 23 in a burned-out bus shelter in Berwick, a small town in the Annapolis Valley about 120 kilometres northwest of Halifax.

Lawyers for the two accused and the Crown have yet to agree on how long a preliminary inquiry would take, so the judge agreed to set the case over to Sept. 4 when a date for a preliminary inquiry is expected to be set.

Fredericks appeared briefly in court, but Surette was not there.

Police have released few details about the case, including how Lawrence died.