Gameti man appealing murder conviction, says he was 'set up' by his lawyers

A convicted murderer from Gameti, N.W.T., is appealing his conviction and sentence.

Kevin Mantla was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty of second-degree murder and attempted murder in relation to a knife attack on his ex-girlfriend and her partner in Yellowknife in September 2015.

The life sentence, for murdering Elvis Lafferty, was handed down with no chance of parole for 20 years. The judge imposed a 15-year sentence for the attempted murder, which was to be served at the same time.

In his appeal notice, Mantla lashed out against his lawyers, saying that after his trial he confronted them about not calling any witnesses in his defence.

Mantla fired his lawyers between the time he was convicted in May 2018 and the time he was sentenced in November.

He now claims he was "set up" by his lawyers and suggested they were working for the prosecution.

Mantla stabbed both of the victims repeatedly after entering his ex-girlfriend's Yellowknife apartment late at night.

N.W.T. Supreme Court Justice Louise Charbonneau, who presided over the trial, said the evidence pointing to Mantla as the killer was "overwhelming." His ex-girlfriend testified that Mantla broke into her apartment and attacked them. Two children that were also present identified Mantla in court as the killer.

Charbonneau also said circumstantial evidence — "overwhelming to a degree we rarely see at trial" — supported the conclusion that Mantla was the attacker.

No date has been set for the appeal.