Santo Domingo.– The preliminary hearing for the accused killers of Barrie's Jordan Morrison begins next week in the Dominican Republic. Members of the teen's family are already in the country.

Morrison, 19, died en route to hospital after allegedly being beaten outside a resort bar in Punta Cana on Feb. 4. Two Montreal men, Dmytro Aref Yev and Bouzid Redha, both 21, will remain behind bars pending trial. They face 30 years in prison if convicted of first-degree murder.

Three other Montreal men were also being held on $27,000 bond, but had yet to be charged. They can't leave the country until the conclusion of the trial. In Canadian courts, preliminary hearings are held to determine if there is enough evidence to go to trial.

According to reports, Morrison, who was vacationing with his family, had been involved in a xonfrontation with a group of men after coming to the aid of a woman at the resort, after one of them had spit in her face.