WINNIPEG – Three decades after the murder of Candace Derksen, the identity of her killer is once again in dispute.
“My hope, our hope, it would be a done deal,” said Fred Derksen, Candace’s father. “That would be great, but we’re not hanging on that.”
Canada’s highest court will now hear the case and decide whether Mark Edward Grant deserves a new trial.
Grant was convicted of second-degree murder in 2011, but last October, that conviction was overturned by the Manitoba Court of Appeal.
When the 13-year old went missing in 1984 it sparked a massive manhunt. Derksen was eventually found frozen to death, her body tied up, in an East Kildonan shed.
Get daily National news
The case went cold for 20 years but in 2007, DNA evidence led police to Grant.
After a lengthy trial, Grant’s lawyer appealed the conviction, arguing the judge made several errors during the trial. The DNA evidence was also questioned.
- 2 kids from northern Alberta still missing, mom and her partner wanted for abduction
- Rare mistrial declared on Frank Stronach sexual assault conviction: defence
- Convoy organizer Pat King guilty of intimidation, Appeal Court rules
- Laos charges in deadly tourist methanol poisoning not harsh enough: parents
Grant’s lawyer wasn’t expecting the Supreme Court of Canada to step in.
Grant is still in custody but can apply for bail as his conviction has been overturned. Simmonds wouldn’t say whether he plans to do that at this point.
It could take more than a year before the Supreme Court of Canada hears Grant’s case.
Comments
Comments closed.
Due to the sensitive and/or legal subject matter of some of the content on globalnews.ca, we reserve the ability to disable comments from time to time.
Please see our Commenting Policy for more.