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Yes, I think they were somehow a duo with an evil synergy. I never got a handle on MS myself - I missed several weeks of the trial where he was cross-examined and before that where a lot of the text evidence about him was discussed. So beyond being certain he was guilty of murder, I had no...

Well, there's certainly some truth to that. But reading the comments section of the Toronto Star or Sun for any period of time is enough to make one's confidence in democracy a bit shaky (until you realize, as per Churchill, paraphrasing an earlier anonymous maxim, "democracy is the worst form...

Absolutely she p***** off the Crown, and she p****** me off too (not that it matters). I hope they do throw the book at her and she gets 20 years. But I'm not at all confident that this will happen (they will throw what they can at her, but they have to prove, not only that CN assisted DM in...

I wouldn't count on that. Even if she is convicted, which is far from a certainty, she will probably not receive any jail time, much less a prison sentence. Her time already served plus her house arrest time etc. will be applied to whatever sentence she receives if convicted. I hope she is...

From Susan Clairmont's article in the Spec: Sachak is representing a different client in a case that begins next week. http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6725389-clairmont-another-excruciating-wait-for-the-bosmas/

Even though the sentence is automatic, a sentencing hearing is apparently held approximately a month after the verdict is handed down. Here's a recent Ontario example of a sentencing hearing following a first-degree murder conviction...

Yes, even in convictions of 1st dgree murder, the victim(s)' family have the opportunity to confront the convicted murderer and deliver a victim impact statement. I still remember the moving VIS given by Bernardo victim Leslie Mahaffy's little brother Ryan. It can be seen here...

I wonder if she made her way to the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver and was one of Robert Pickton's many nameless victims. Horrible thought, but not impossible.

I believe you're almost certainly correct. Mainly because I'm sure, just based on statistical probability, that DM began to show troublesome signs early on, and that his parents, while they may not have been as alert to deviance in him due to his being an only child, would have known something...

Bell's Palsy is usually temporary, but not always. Former Prime Minister Jean Cretien had it and his recovery was incomplete, resulting an a lopsided smile which was the subject of Conservative Party attack ads in the 1993 election. (see...

I don't think there are any records that go way back to tell us for certain. But the Pickton trial jury deliberations took nine full days, and a trial to convict a guy who molested boys at Maple Leaf Gardens took ten days of jury deliberations. The Oland case in NB took four days or maybe...

I did too, and I was worried it might be for this trial, since I'm a resident of the area. It was very detailed. I didn't have any valid reasons for being unable to serve if called, but I really did not and do not want to be on a jury for a case like this. Jurors can have a kind of PTSD after...

Yes, but further to that, hung juries are rare in Canada. I don't foresee such a thing in this case, because it's clear both accused were up to their eyeballs in this crime. What will be at issue among jury members with differing interpretations of the evidence is the degree of culpability...

No, they didn't, and I was expecting them to do so, or at least make an attempt to do so, especially when evidence about the truck was introduced. Was Tim's truck outfitted with those locks that the driver can trigger that prevent the other doors from being opened from the inside? Had the...

I read those articles too and got the same impression as you. IIRC, RB claimed he offered to take DM in (I inferred it was likely at MB's request), thinking to provide him with some stability and a normal happy family life. He probably did not have any particular hostility to DM at the time --...

Pretty clear intent, yes, but not for this case. More likely for LB or some other obstacle to DM's achieving his desires. It's 15 months before the TB murder. Given all DM's criminal activity it could refer to a number of things, for all we know. But it does not likely refer to intent to kill...

LOL, good one! But instead of an arborist tthey have the jury foreperson, who will in fact guide them systematically through the decision trees and discussions of the evidence, so no 15-minute verdict is in the offing. They will carefully go over the options.

Yes, that happens. See this example: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/magnotta-trial/article22156895/ However, I don't know if their input is sought on the matter, that is, can they say they need a day off for R and R in their hotel rooms? I suspect the answer is no, they are...

I think that if it would influence the outcome of those trials, the judge would have included it in the publication ban. But, I suspect it may figure in the LB case, it's just that there's no obvious connection (that we know of) so releasing that information now doesn't prevent a fair trial in...

In Canada, you can be tried twice for the same crime; it's in the USA that you cannot. There, it's known as the "double jeopardy" rule and is IIRC in the US Constitution somewhere. But in Canada, yes, if you are acquitted by a jury of a crime (or acquitted by a judge), the Crown can appeal and...