Homicide trial of two suspects ends in bizarre fashion

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After being saved in the dead of night for per week, jurors within the homicide trial of two Calgary males had been introduced into court docket Tuesday and advised they had been not wanted.

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Decide Kim Nixon advised jurors she had determined to take the case towards murder suspect Martin Wallace Yuen away from them and acquitted them.

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The Court docket of King’s Bench decide mentioned she was additionally ending the homicide trial of John Edward Tabler after agreeing with protection lawyer Andrea Urquhart {that a} mistrial was warranted.

The end result got here after days of authorized arguments by each protection and Crown attorneys in regards to the energy of the proof towards Yuen and whether or not Tabler’s proper to a good trial had been compromised.

On the finish of the case referred to as by prosecutor Tiffany Dwyer, Yuen’s legal professional, Rebecca Snukal, filed for a directed verdict by Nixon, arguing that there was no proof that would result in a conviction.

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However Nixon mentioned there was some proof that Yuen was engaged in a standard intent with Tabler and jurors might convict him as a celebration to the homicide.

Jurors then heard testimony from Tabler, who testified that he had Jesse George, an undesirable visitor at their Memorial Dr. SE home, unintentionally shot useless after Yuen threw him out of the residence.

Final Thursday, Dwyer despatched a letter to the decide informing her that she would solely argue that Yuen was responsible of committing a felony act that led to George’s loss of life by giving the firearm to Tabler earlier than the deadly capturing. capturing.

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Snukal then renewed her directed verdict argument and Nixon agreed that there was no proof that Yuen was concerned in a felony try exterior their dwelling when Tabler fired the deadly shot.

The decide additional agreed with Urquhart that as a result of Yuen was a possible protection witness as soon as he was discovered not responsible, her consumer’s proper to a good trial was compromised, resulting in a mistrial.

“I wish to thanks on your unimaginable persistence all through the trial,” Nixon advised jurors after they had been lastly introduced into court docket after being advised to remain dwelling for per week because the initially scheduled three-week trial wound down has in a fifth.

“I have to advise you that I’m withdrawing the jury’s case towards Mr. Yuen as a matter of legislation and I’m getting into the decision that I’d in any other case direct you to offer … the decision isn’t responsible,” she mentioned .

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“Moreover, I have to inform you that the trial towards Mr. Tabler is not going to proceed. Typically in distinctive circumstances a trial can’t proceed. By legislation it occurred right here…for causes I will not hassle you with.”

Earlier than jurors had been introduced in, Dwyer mentioned regardless of the ultimate end result, the general public shouldn’t lose give attention to what occurred.

“Mr. George was a 30-year-old Indigenous man who was gunned down on the streets of Calgary,” she mentioned.

“That is what we had been right here for and typically it will get misplaced within the authorized argument.”

Because of this, she conceded Tabler could possibly be launched on bail to accommodate arrest. His case comes again to court docket on Jan. 13 with the purpose of scheduling a retrial.

KMartin@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @KMartinCourts