Lawyer wants Yukon murder trial moved
The lawyer of a 30-year-old British Columbia man co-accused in a 2008 murder wants the trial moved out of the Yukon.
Norman Larue and his partner Christina Asp were arrested in 2009 and charged jointly with Gordon Seybold's murder.
Larue’s Victoria-based lawyer, Ray Dieno, is suggesting it will be impossible to find an unbiased jury for Larue, unless the trial is moved out of the territory.
Larue’s co-accused was tried earlier this year. Asp’s three-month jury trial turned into the longest and most expensive in Yukon history.
Dieno said there was so much publicity around Asp’s trial that potential jurors in a small town will be biased. He compared Whitehorse’s size to a small town such as Port Alberni, B.C.
He said it took Yukon sheriffs five days to find a local jury for that case.
Dieno has compiled dozens of media reports from the Asp trial, suggesting it was the most high profile case ever in the Yukon.
A deputy justice from Alberta heard arguments Tuesday in Yukon Supreme Court.
Justice Scott Brooker wondered aloud where if anywhere might be practical to hold the trial.
He suggested Yellowknife courtrooms are overloaded. He mentioned Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria as possible venues, but said they are also busy. Brooker has reserved his decision.
Changing the venue would make Yukon legal history, if it's granted. Crown prosecutors aren't even sure if it would be legal to move the trial outside the territory. At the same time, they can't find any law prohibiting it.
