Guy Turcotte gives up guilty verdict appeal, no chance of third trial
Guy Turcotte, who was found guilty of second-degree murder of his two children last December, has given up on his appeal of the verdict.
The former cardiologist stabbed his children, Olivier, 5, and Anne-Sophie, 3, to death in February 2009.
In his first trial, a jury found Turcotte not criminally responsible. But two years later, Quebec's Court of Appeal ordered a second trial. On the seventh day of deliberations in that trial, the jury found him guilty.
Without an appeal there is no chance of a third trial.
On Jan. 15, Quebec Superior Court Justice André Vincent sentenced Turcotte to life in prison with no chance of parole for 17 years.
While Turcotte is not appealing the verdict, he is still appealing the sentence, saying it is too severe. His lawyers said the judge did not give proper weight to Turcotte's mental state at the time of the slayings.
They also argue that Turcotte should have been eligible for parole after 15 years because he is not considered a danger to society.
