Cora Laich and her late husband Simon Grant. (submitted photo/Cora Laich)

By Derek Cornet

Manslaughter

Widow believes killer’s chances at appeal are ‘slim to none’

Aug 13, 2019 | 2:09 PM

Cora Laich is confident the final killer sentenced in the death of her husband Simon Grant more than two years ago will be unsuccessful in his appeal.

“I feel they can appeal, but the chances are slim to none because I believe the judge did a very thorough job in his sentencing and reasoning,” she said. “The big thing is the nature of the crime. It was a ruthless, cruel beating. It wasn’t like it was a break and enter. It was a serious, heinous crime and I think there is no room for an appeal in this situation.”

After Judge Robert Lane made an order Monday to keep the man, who can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, in a federal penitentiary to serve the remainder of his nine-year jail term, his defence lawyer Jessie Buydens confirmed she was instructed to appeal the adult sentence. The man, who turns 20 in December, will remain in the penitentiary pending the outcome of the appeal.

In the weeks leading up to this week’s court date, Laich was contacted by corrections and asked for her input into the man’s placement. Aside from the penitentiary, he could have served the sentence in a youth facility or provincial correctional facility for adults. Laich pushed for him to be sent to the federal jail mostly for security reasons.

“Candice (Laich’s daughter) and I would feel like he was in a good place, where we wouldn’t have to worry about him manipulating people at a youth facility and trying to break out,” she said. “We are able to know through a program they have where he is and when his parole will be. There’s a lot of communication to the victims and the youth facility doesn’t have anything like that.”

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Laich is also confident in the programming available to inmates at the penitentiary. When federal representatives described what was available during the sentencing hearing, she believed what she heard was positive and could be beneficial for the man if he chooses to participate.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno