Supreme Court of Canada dismissed on Feb. 16 serial killer Cody Legebokoff’s application for leave to appeal his four counts of first degree murder.
Legebokoff, 26, was sentenced to life in prison without eligibility for parole for 25 years for the first degree murders of Stacey Stuchenko (35), Natasha Montgomery (24), Cynthia Maas (35), and Loren Leslie (15) in and around Prince George in 2009 and 2010. No reasons were provided by the court in the dismissal statement.
Legebokoff first seeked to appeal his convictions at the Court of Appeal for B.C., but his application was dismissed on Sept. 26 last year.
Legebokoff’s lawyers have cited two miscarriages of justice as the basis for the appeal of the four life sentences handed down to their client. One referred to Legebokoff’s right to be represented by the counsel of his choice throughout the proceedings, and another referred to how the trial judge had, after the trial concluded, expressed criticisms, on how the defence counsel conducted the pre-trial change-of-venue application.
For Legebokoff, this is a miscarriage of justice as the judge had a duty to immediately disclose his views and the delay created an appearance of unfairness. However, the Court of Appeal stated that “in the circumstances, a well-informed reasonable person’s confidence in the administration of justice would not be shaken by the delayed disclosure.”
On Legebokoff’s appeal in B.C., Doug Leslie, Loren’s father, calls Legebokoff a “narcissist and sociopath” and believes the appeal is an attempt to hurt people once more. He also calls the move a “last ditch effort”, and believes that Legebokoff will never be released. However, he says that bringing the case back into the public eye will help serve as a reminder and warning that there are more people like Legebokoff out there. “On a positive note, that’s the way you gotta look at it.”
– with files from Barbara Roden, Black Press
