Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani takes part in an interview in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. Two New Brunswick men whose murder convictions from nearly 40 years ago were quashed last month by the federal justice minister are expected in court this week to see if a new trial will proceed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
FREDERICTON – Two New Brunswick men whose 1984 murder convictions were recently quashed are expected to learn this week whether they will be put on trial again.
A hearing is set for Thursday involving Robert Mailman and Walter Gillespie at the Court of King’s Bench in Saint John, during which they will be represented by lawyers with Innocence Canada.
Innocence Canada co-president Ron Dalton says the two men will plead not guilty and the Crown is expected to reveal at the hearing whether it intends to launch a new trial.
Last month federal Justice Minister Arif Virani quashed the second-degree murder convictions related to the Nov. 30, 1983, slaying of George Gilman Leeman.
Virani said he found a reasonable basis to conclude a miscarriage of justice occurred in the men’s convictions.
Innocence Canada, which advocates for the wrongfully accused, has said that Gillespie served 21 years of his life sentence in prison, and Mailman served 18 years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2024.
