Man to stand jury trial on murder charge
Michael MacPherson, charged with the 2014 murder of Tanner Sinclair, will face a jury trial in Yukon Supreme Court.
Michael MacPherson, charged with the 2014 murder of Tanner Sinclair, will face a jury trial in Yukon Supreme Court.
The ruling was made Friday after a preliminary hearing held in October.
A plea has yet to be officially entered in Yukon Supreme Court.
The jury will have to determine whether MacPherson is guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter or is innocent.
Second-degree murder carries a sentence of imprisonment for life, with no chance of parole for 10 to 25 years.
However, after having served 15 years, a person convicted of murder can apply for a reduction in the parole ineligibility period.
There is no minimum sentence for manslaughter – except when a firearm is used – but the conviction carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
A date for the trial hasn’t been set yet.
Sinclair died as a result of stab wounds on July 15, 2014 in Whitehorse.
MacPherson was arrested on Vancouver Island on July 25, 2014.
Comments (2)
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JC on Nov 4, 2015 at 1:36 pm
"Why oh why does this take so long????" They have to check out the multi-past residential school thing first.
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Why oh why does this take so long???? on Nov 2, 2015 at 4:35 pm
15 months after the death, and finally a hearing to see if charges should proceed. No date for the trial yet, and no plea. Why does it take months and years for a case like this to crawl through the justice system?