2nd Quebecer has murder case stayed due to Jordan ruling
Trial proceedings were set to begin in September 2017 for Ryan Wolfson
A Montreal man accused of first-degree murder is the second Quebecer to have his murder case stayed because it has taken too long for his case to get to trial.
Ryan Wolfson was set to stand trial for the first-degree murder of Pierre-Paul Fortier, who died in October 2012.
Wolfson's trial was set to begin in September 2017 — nearly five years after he was arrested and charged in connection with the deaths of both Fortier and a second man.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer ruled Friday that there have been too many unreasonable delays in Wolfson's judicial proceedings.
Wolfson's criminal lawyer, Alexandra Longueville, sought a stay of proceedings based on the Jordan ruling — a decision issued by the Supreme Court of Canada last July which imposes new deadlines on the justice system to avoid unreasonable trial delays.
Trials involving less serious offences must now be wrapped up within 18 months, and those involving more serious charges, including murder, face a 30-month deadline.
Wolfson is already serving a life sentence for the murder of Frédérick Murdock, who was killed in October 2012.
2 separate trials
In November 2012, Wolfson was arrested and faced five charges: two charges of first-degree murder, three charges of attempted murder and a charge related to the possession of unauthorized weapons.
The events related to the charges occurred over the span of a month in the Laurentians.
Murdock's body was discovered on Oct. 10, 2012, in Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson. A few days later, on Oct. 18, the body of Fortier was found in nearby Saint-Sauveur.
After years of delays in determining whether to treat the charges separately or together, two separate trials were set for Wolfson.
In October 2016, he was convicted of the murder of Murdock and found guilty on two attempted murder charges.