Alicia Murphy retrial set for November in Whitehorse
A trial date has been set for a Whitehorse woman, who will answer to a 2008 murder charge for a second time in court.
Six years ago, 34-year-old Alicia Murphy was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Evangeline Billy, who was found beaten and drowned in the Yukon River in downtown Whitehorse in June, 2008. Murphy was sentenced to life, and was nearly six years into her sentence when the Yukon's Court of Appeal ordered a new trial last year.
The evidence against Murphy was largely circumstantial, except for two witnesses who said Murphy confessed to them. The Court of Appeal ruled that the Crown went too far in its prosecution by asking police officers to testify about the reliability of the witnesses.
A Yukon Supreme Court judge has set aside four weeks to hear the case, which will begin November 2.
