Police escort one of two reputed white supremacists arrested in connection with the murder of a Calgary man last year.

CALGARY — A judge has prohibited two skinheads jointly facing second-degree murder charges from having any contact with each other, except through counsel or to further their legal proceedings.

Provincial court Judge William Cummings made the order at the request of Crown prosecutor Susan Karpa during the first appearances of Robert David Reitmeier, 24, and Tyler William Sturrup, 26, on Wednesday.

Both men, believed to belong to a white supremacist group in Calgary who appeared together by closed-circuit television, were charged last week in connection with the death of Mark Mariani last October.

The ban was not contested by either defence lawyer — Nick D’Souza for Reitmeier and Tonii Roulston for Sturrup.

Roulston told the judge she expects there will be “a large hard drive full of disclosure” provided by the Crown’s office, likely in time for the next appearance in docket court on June 29.

Until that is done, both lawyers agreed to the automatic detention of their clients. D’Souza said it will take some time to review disclosure once it has been received.

Reitmeier is also accused of sexual assault and unlawful confinement of a woman at a party in the city on April 29, 2009, as well as failing to comply with probation conditions.

Crown prosecutor Karuna Ramakrishnan, assigned to the sexual assault case, said following the man’s appearance in provincial court on Tuesday that Reitmeier and the alleged victim did not know each other, but were “beyond casual acquaintances.”

The victim cannot be named because of a court-ordered ban.

Ramakrishnan said he was not charged until April 29 when he was identified through a DNA match from the assault two years earlier.

Reitmeier and Sturrup are suspected leaders of the WEB, or Western European Bloodline white pride group. It is one of two known white supremacist groups in Calgary since the disbanding of the Aryan Guard.

They are charged with the death of Mariani, 47, who was attacked in an alley in the city’s northwest quadrant.

Police investigators said although the two suspects are white supremacists, there is no indication that affiliation had any connection to the crime, which appears to have been unprovoked.