REGINA- Saskatchewan farmer Robert Latimer, the man convicted of murdering his severely handicapped 12-year-old daughter in November, 1994, is certain to receive a new trial. The trial is likely to come after obstruction of justice charges were laid against the Crown prosecutor handling the Latimer case.
Randy Kirkham, a crown attorney from North Battleford, Saskatchewan, was charged in late June after a review of the case. It is alleged Kirkham tampered with the jury by having police question potential jurors about their views on abortion, mercy killing and religion.
Some of those interviewed by police eventually wound up as jurors in the Latimer trial.
Kirkham was suspended when it was revealed he knew about the interviews but did not tell the court or the lawyer defending Latimer.
Latimer was convicted of second-degree murder for killing his daughter Tracy, who suffered multiple physical and developmental handicaps. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole for ten years.
He appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court of Canada, citing a number of procedural errors in the original trial.
The case drew attention across Canada for its focus on the entire mercy killing debate. Some groups sympathized with Latimer who claimed he only wanted to end his daughter’s suffering. They criticized the murder charge and suggested Latimer who claimed he only wanted to end his daughter’s suffering. They criticized the murder charge and suggested Latimer was within his rights to end his daughter’s life.
Pro-life organizations, while sympathetic to Latimer’s situation, raised concerns over his action. They said the law should not allow persons to make decisions about another’s quality of life.
