Crown concedes appeal of convicted double-murderer just days after dropping case against second suspect
Just days after dropping murder charges against one suspect in a cold-case double homicide, the Crown has conceded the appeal of a second man already convicted in the case.
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Defence lawyer Balfour Der said Tuesday he received a letter from the prosecution saying they would not oppose his application for a new trial for Leonard Brian Cochrane.
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'I got a letter today saying the Crown is conceding the appeal and is asking to have it sent back for a new trial,' said Der, who is currently out of the country.
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'I'm very pleased that that's the result,' Der said.
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'We had some good grounds of appeal on some novel arguments that we were confident in succeeding.'
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One of the novel issues in the case against Cochrane was the use of investigative genetic genealogy, which police forces have been using in recent years to solve historical cases.
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Last Friday, the prosecution stayed two first-degree murder charges against Calgarian Stuart Douglas MacGregor in a letter filed with Calgary Court of King's Bench by Edmonton Chief Crown prosecutor Sarah Langley.
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MacGregor was charged in the same 1994 killings for which Cochrane was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder.
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'Pursuant to section 579 of the Criminal Code you are hereby directed by counsel instructed by the Attorney General for that purpose to make an entry on the record that the proceedings against the above named accused on the above named charges are stayed,' Langley's letter stated.
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Der said he didn't have details about the decision to drop the charges against MacGregor, which could be revived within 12 months, but said the concession on Cochrane's appeal could be related.
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'I suspect it is, but I do not know the situation on MacGregor,' he said.
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The letter conceding the Cochrane matter was sent by appeal Crown prosecutor Christine Rideout, Der said.
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