Spectators crowding into Room 202 for Moore County Superior Court on Monday expecting to see accused multiple murderer Robert Stewart make his first court appearance will be disappointed.

Steward is currently facing eight charges of first-degree murder for shooting to death seven elderly patients and a nurse at Pinelake Health and Rehabilitation Center on March 29.

He also faces a charge of assault on a law-enforcement officer for shooting a Carthage policeman, Cpl. Justin Garner. Garner was the only policeman on duty that Sunday. He responded to the 911 call and shot Stewart in the chest as the gunman allegedly attacked him in a hallway at the center.

Stewart's first appearance would ordinarily take place at the District level, but there is no session of Criminal District Court set for Monday. His April 13 date is therefore a technicality. His own lawyers say they fully expect District Attorney Maureen Krueger to move to indict him and have no plans for their client to be brought from Central Prison to Carthage for any hearing on Monday.

The Grand Jury, however, does meet on Monday.

When a Grand Jury is empaneled, its members first select a foreperson. Bills of indictment are given in a sealed envelope to the foreperson, and jurors meet in secret session. Once they adjourn, the foreperson brings a large envelope into the courtroom and hands it to the judge, who opens and reads it.

At that point, the Superior Court judge on the bench will announce how many "true bills" have been returned -- but none of the indictments will be read out in court. They become public only after personnel in the office of Moore County Clerk of Court Susan Hicks enter them officially in the records of the county.

That could happen Monday afternoon, Tuesday or Wednesday.