The mother of a murdered Aboriginal woman says justice was done in the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal today when the court upheld the murder conviction of Douglas Hales.
Pauline Muskego traveled all the way down from the Onion Lake Cree Nation north of Lloydminster to be in the Regina courtroom where the case was heard this morning.
The lawyer for Douglas Hales argued evidence from an undercover police sting operation should not have been allowed during his trial last year because Hales was vulnerable and pressured into making a false confession.
Last December, Hales was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2004 death of 25-year-old Daleen Bosse. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 15 years.
The victim’s mother, Pauline says she was so nervous she was almost hyperventilating throughout the court hearing this morning. She was calm and composed after the court upheld the conviction.
“I am thankful for the outcome, and that justice has been served,” she said. “Our family does not have to go through this again and I’m just glad that the accused is where he belongs.”
Prosecutor Dean Sinclair says the undercover police operation played a major role is locating Bosse’s body and the arrest of Hales. He says it is an investigative tool that has been used many times.
“There is not a question in my mind that in many of those cases the murders would not have been solved without employing this investigative technique,” he said.
The three appeal court justices were unanimous in their decision, saying evidence against the accused was overwhelming. That means an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada is not automatic. The defence has to first ask the high court if it will hear the case. It can be refused without reason.