Matthew Donald Tilley, 46, was arrested in Victoria last month after a DNA breakthrough linked him to the killing of Suzanne Poll in 1993.

Justice David Peek refused him bail in the South Australian Supreme Court on Friday, after Tilley appealed a magistrates court decision.

He suppressed his reasons for dismissing the application to avoid any prejudice to a future jury.

But Justice Peek also flagged concerns over the timeline of proceedings, with Tilley not due to face the magistrates court again until September.

He urged prosecutors to hand over evidence as soon as it became available to bring forward that date.

That issue was also raised by defence counsel Craig Caldicott, who said outside his client intended to plead not guilty to the charge and would not face trial until at least 2021.

"He clearly wants to have his day in court, and it looks like we won't have a day in court for another year or two," he said.

"It's not good for the victim's family. It's not good for my client. It's not good for the whole system. We need to be able to move these things forward."

Mr Caldicott said another bail application would be made if there was an "untimely delay" in the case.

Mrs Poll, a mother of two, was stabbed to death while working at the Salisbury Sands & McDougall store during what police believe might have been a robbery- gone-wrong.

The lights were off and the shop was shut, but the front door remained ajar while the 36-year-old counted the day's takings.

A man entered and attacked Mrs Poll, who tried to escape through a back room but was stabbed to death in what police said was a vicious and sustained attack.

Her killer was cut, leaving DNA that allowed for a match in the most recent checks.

- AAP