Man who allegedly murdered serial killer Robert Pickton appears in court
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The man accused of murdering serial killer Robert Pickton in prison appeared briefly by video conference at the courthouse in Sept-Îles, Que., northeast of Quebec City.
Martin Charest, 52, faces one count first-degree murder in connection with Pickton's killing in May 2024 at the Port-Cartier federal penitentiary.
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Charest allegedly broke a broom handle before shoving it into the face of Pickton, who died in hospital of his injuries days later at the age of 74.
Quebec court Judge Vicky Lapierre ordered the case to return to court on Sept. 2.
Pickton, one of Canada's most notorious serial killers, was convicted in 2007 of six counts of second-degree murder.
But he confessed to killing a total of 49 women whom he lured into his pig farm near Vancouver.
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Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
World juniors case raises consent questions, but appeal unlikely: experts
An appeal by Crown prosecutors of Thursday's acquittal of five hockey players in the high-profile world juniors sexual assault case is unlikely, legal experts say, despite questions about whether consent was properly considered. Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote were found not guilty of all charges after a weeks-long court case that centred on an alleged group sexual encounter in London, Ont., in 2018, in which the players had been accused of non-consensual sex. The Crown has 30 days to decide whether to appeal the decision to a higher court. In her ruling, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia said she did not find the female complainant, known as E.M. in court documents due to standard a publication ban, 'credible or reliable.' She also dismissed the Crown's argument that E.M. had only consented out of fear. Story continues below advertisement 'This case, on its facts, does not raise issues of the reformulation of the legal concept of consent,' she said in her decision. While those statements and others made by Carroccia have been criticized, even legal experts who take issue with them say they may not be sufficient grounds for an appeal. 'I don't agree with the way that the judge came to her decision, but the decision is really well-reasoned,' said Daphne Gilbert, a legal professor who teaches courses on sexual assault law at the University of Ottawa. 'Appeal standards aren't just that you disagree with the result. You have to to show an error in law. And I don't see an error in law in the decision itself.' 3:56 Why the judge acquitted all 5 former Hockey Canada players in sex assault trial How the legal definition of consent factors in Melanie Randall, a Western University law professor whose research includes women's autonomy rights, said Canada's 'extremely progressive statutory definition of consent' in criminal law means 'we're not looking for the 'no,' we're looking for the 'yes.'' Story continues below advertisement In other words, she said, a judge or jury must take into account the female complainant's own mindset behind her decision to consent to a sexual act, and determine if that consent is truly voluntary, which can be a subjective assessment. The court heard during the trial that E.M., who testified she was drunk and not of clear mind, was in the washroom after she had consensual sex with McLeod on the night in question and came out to a group of men in the room allegedly invited by McLeod in a group chat. It was then that the Crown alleged several sexual acts took place without E.M.'s consent. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Defence lawyers suggested E.M. wasn't as drunk as she said she was, wanted a 'wild night' with the players, was 'egging' them on to have sex with her and accused her of having a 'clear agenda' during the court process, which was a judge-only trial. E.M. pushed back against those claims and at points outright rejected them, saying she was coaxed into staying in the room and was disrespected and taken advantage of by the group, who she said 'could see I was out of my mind.' 'E.M. was unwavering in telling the court that she did not consent, she did not want this, she did not provide her voluntary agreement,' Randall said. Story continues below advertisement 'She explained in excruciating detail why it was complex for her to cope in that situation where she felt threatened and unsure of how to respond, and I think used a lot of strategies of appeasement and acquiescence.' 2:36 World junior trial: Players found not guilty in high-profile sex assault case Although Randall agreed that the decision itself was legally sound, she believes Carroccia 'went much further than she needed to' in the analysis of consent by ruling E.M.'s consent was voluntary. 'The judge basically said one of two things: either she knows better than E.M. does what her own subjective state was, or E.M. is a liar,' Randall said. 'I think those are two very unfortunate and damaging consequences of this decision.' Gilbert said a possible appeal could be launched on the allegation the judge was biased against E.M., but called that 'kind of a nuclear option.' Story continues below advertisement 'Usually you wouldn't accuse a judge of bias from what they write in a judgment, because they're actually making explicit the reasons upon which they made their decision,' she added. 'Bias arguments are more likely to come from attitudes in the courtroom or things that were said in the courtroom that then you felt contributed to a wrongful verdict.' She suggested the judge could have done more to rein in the defence lawyers in their cross-examination of E.M., which the complainant's lawyer Karen Bellehumeur said after the verdict Thursday was at times 'insulting, unfair, mocking and disrespectful.' 'A fair trial is one where decisions are made based on the evidence and the law, not on stereotypes and assumptions, and where the trial process respects the security, equality and privacy rights of the victim, as well as the accused persons,' Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham told reporters outside court Thursday. Toronto lawyer Lorne Honickman told Global News the Crown will likely look 'very, very closely' at the issue of consent in the judge's ruling as it determines its next steps. 'If they believe that there may have been an error there in law, they will take this 30-day appeal period or review period to determine whether or not they want to appeal,' he said. 'Perhaps — and I underline 'perhaps' a hundred times — a higher court will be looking at the issues here and making further determinations.' Story continues below advertisement 2:26 Protestors gather as judge gives ruling in World Junior hockey sexual assault trial Scientific context missing in consent argument In her ruling, Carroccia noted the Crown did not present any scientific evidence or testimony she could consider that would support its claims that E.M.'s had only consented under fear or duress — something scientific experts were also puzzled by. 'I think the complexity of how the complainant responded isn't well understood,' Dr. Lori Haskell, a Toronto-based clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma and abuse and has served as an expert witness in previous trials, told Global News. Story continues below advertisement Haskell cited neuroscientific research that has shown how the brain can shut down parts of the prefrontal cortex that affect decision-making, logic and reasoning in stressful or threatening scenarios. 'They're now in survival brain,' she said of people during situations of real or perceived threats. 'It's easy when you're not in that situation to assume you could (fight or run away), but I think we need to look at, what are similar situations? How do people respond?' She continued: 'I mean, how do men respond to hazing on sports teams? We know young men in universities have been quite traumatized with things done to them.' Without that further context, experts like Gilbert and Randall said the judge's ruling appeared to accept some of the most widely-held myths regarding sexual assault, including arguments made by the defence lawyers that E.M. had 'created a lie' out of regret and embarrassment. 'Although the slogan, 'Believe the victim,' has become popularized as of late, it has no place in a criminal trial,' Carroccia wrote at one point in her decision. 'To approach a trial with the assumption that the complainant is telling the truth is the equivalent of imposing a presumption of guilt on the person accused of sexual assault and then placing the burden on him to prove his innocence.' Story continues below advertisement 0:49 All 5 former World Junior players found not guilty in high-profile sex assault trial London, Ont., defence lawyer Phillip Millar told Global News he felt 'relief' to see that sentiment expressed in the decision. 'I was worried our judicial system has (been) going too far in terms of buying into the 'believe all victims' (idea) before the person has been determined to be a victim by the justice system,' he said. 'What was done is the law of consent was properly applied. You can't redefine consent because it's inconvenient to you, or because you want to retroactively retract it. Just because you're not proud of what you did on a day doesn't give you the ability to redefine what is consent.' Randall and Gilbert noted that acquittals mean the threshold of proving something beyond a reasonable doubt was not met by the Crown, but how Canadians and those in the public realm view the details laid out during the court process may be another question. Story continues below advertisement 'I don't think an appeal is the only strategy here,' Gilbert said. 'I think there's lots of things we can respond to this judgment with that are, you know, powerful things to respond with that aren't necessarily appealing.'
Global News
9 hours ago
- Global News
Maple Ridge couple, dog, killed in neighbour dispute, leaving loved ones bewildered
A beautiful landscape, a fern in a latte's foam, the view at the end of a hike — Bruce Richards loved sending his friend Darryl Lucas photos of his recent adventures. Especially if he knew it would get under Lucas' skin a little. 'He kept sending it because he knew it would, you know, get me going and that's our friendship,' Lucas told Global News. Bruce, alongside his wife Roxanne and their dog, was killed inside their Maple Ridge home on Wednesday night. View image in full screen Bruce and Roxanne's dog was also killed. Provided to Global News View image in full screen Bruce and Roxanne Richards were retired and loved to travel. Provided to Global News Lucas first met Bruce in the '80s when they played rugby together at Simon Fraser University. They remained friends ever since. Story continues below advertisement He said they would all meet up and have coffee and the couple always supported the rugby fundraisers. 'Bruce was a teacher in the Coquitlam School District for 35 years or something like that… Roxanne was, I believe, a financial adviser for TD in I think the last posting she had before her retirement was in Maple Ridge too,' Lucas said. He said they were a lovely couple. 3:44 3 dead in Maple Ridge neighbourhood dispute 'I've heard this sort of stuff before, where a tragedy happens and somebody says, you know, they were the nicest couple, they were so quiet and everyone loved them,' Lucas said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Bruce and Roxanne were the definition of that. They truly were. And it's just so senseless and so tragic and I feel so bad for their boys and their extended families on that.' Story continues below advertisement Lucas said they were a fun and loving couple and didn't have a mean bone in their body. The suspect in their deaths, who has not been named, is believed to have died from a self-inflicted injury. Neighbours told Global News that there was ongoing tension between the victims and the suspect, possibly over parking, however police have not yet confirmed a motive. 'I just remember one time I asked, 'How you doing?' Lucas said. 'And Bruce just rolled his eyes one time and said, 'Oh, my neighbour'. And that's as far as I got into that.' 0:40 Three dead in Maple Ridge police incident RCMP said that officers were called to reports of a neighbourhood dispute on 239th Street and 118A Avenue earlier on Wednesday, at approximately 6:40 p.m. Story continues below advertisement Police officers from the Ridge Meadows RCMP spoke with several people but no arrests were made, police confirmed. Then, at approximately 10:51 p.m., the Maple Ridge Fire Department reported to police that a vehicle was on fire and a break-and-enter was in progress at a home in the same location. Callers to 911 also reported that shots had been fired at that home. When Ridge Meadows RCMP arrived back on the scene, police said they found two vehicles and the attached garage on fire, along with two people and a dog dead inside that home. The suspect was believed to be armed with a weapon inside a neighbouring home and police set up a containment zone, RCMP said. The Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team was called in and eventually gained entry to the second home where another person was reportedly found dead, police said. View image in full screen Bruce and Roxanne Richards. Provided to Global News The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has now taken over the case. Story continues below advertisement 'Probably so many people out there have had disputes with their neighbours and it doesn't get to this,' Lucas said. 'So it's just, and then in this case it did, it got right to this level.' Rick, whose last name is not revealed due to security concerns, lives next door to the Richards. He said they had lived there since the neighbourhood was built — about 25 years. 'They've been just great neighbours, great people,' he said. He added that his neighbours had called a bylaw officer previously over what sounded like a parking dispute but he said he didn't know the extent of any conflict between the suspect and victims. Lucas said that right now, everyone is just looking for answers about what happened and why. 'It's just a sense of bewilderment and then when it hits you, you're like, why them, this is senseless, absolutely senseless,' he said.
Global News
9 hours ago
- Global News
Man pleads guilty to murder of Lapu Lapu Day festival attack suspect's brother
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook The man accused of killing the brother of the suspect in Vancouver's Lapu Lapu Day festival attack has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Alexander Lo, 31, was found dead on the floor of a home near Knight Street and 33rd Avenue around 1 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2024. Dwight William Kematch, 39, was arrested at the scene. Police confirmed Friday that Kematch had entered a guilty plea in the death. 0:43 Mental fitness hearing for Lapu Lapu tragedy suspect hears from psychiatrists At the time, one of the victim's friends told Global News the killing had shattered the family. Story continues below advertisement 'They're crushed. The mother's distraught. Alex's brother is beside himself,' Paul Forhan said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy More than a year later, Alexander Lo's brother, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, was arrested for allegedly driving an SUV into a crowd of people at the popular Filipino street festival. Kai-Ji Adam Lo is facing 11 counts of second-degree murder and is currently undergoing hearings for his mental fitness to stand trial. Those hearings are slated to resume in August.
