James David Junior Charlie who was convicted of the 2012 first-degree murder of Fribjon Bjornson, near Fort St. James, will see a new trial.
The Court of Appeal for British Columbia formally announced the existing verdict “cannot be saved”, concluding that “a new trial is required.”
It was ordered on the assertion the judge failed to provide the jury with critical information, including all potential verdicts.
While Madam Justice Saunders acknowledged the burden to family and friends of Bjornson, as well as those called on to participate in the trial, she admitted: “in my view, the verdict must be set aside.”
In the first trial that resulted in his conviction, Charlie pleaded guilty to offering indignities to a dead body or human remains.
The full report is available online.
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