Woman appeals murder conviction
The woman found guilty of the beating and drowning death of Evangeline Billy is appealing her conviction.
The woman found guilty of the beating and drowning death of Evangeline Billy is appealing her conviction.
Alicia Murphy filed documents with the Yukon Court of Appeal on Tuesday.
Gordon Coffin, the lawyer who defended her during the 11-day trial held in October, is not named on the appeal. The specifics of her appeal are not publicly available.
Murphy was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for 14 years after being found guilty by a Yukon Supreme Court jury. Justice Ron Veale oversaw the trial and handed down the sentence.
She pleaded not guilty to the murder of Billy, the 28-year-old Little Salmon-Carmacks woman whose body was found floating in the Yukon River in Whitehorse on June 22, 2008.
Throughout the trial, Murphy maintained she was in Riverdale, first at her drug dealer's and then at her own home, during the time in question.
Although there was no physical evidence linking Murphy to the crime, two witnesses, one of them Murphy's sister and the other a drinking buddy of the 29-year-old accused woman, testified that Murphy admitted to the crime the day after it was committed.
The next sitting of the court of appeal is scheduled for the spring of 2010.
Comments (11)
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dennis coutrure on Dec 7, 2009 at 9:40 am
ok clowns, enough with the native vs white stuff on here. bottom line is, an innocent person was murdered, and thanfully, the murderer was caught, and was convicted of murder, bravo to the jury. The question in line now is, why does she want an appeal? well its because she is too chicken to serve her time. I too hope she gets laughed out of the appeal process. Serve your time murderer
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Erryn Harding on Dec 6, 2009 at 11:22 am
You have got to be kidding me ??
They will even allow her to do this ??
I'm quite disgusted how the Court system works now a days in Canada...
I knew Evan I went to school with her and I cant even imagine what her family is going through right now.
I say send her Ass down south and let her serve prison time.
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Gina on Dec 5, 2009 at 3:38 am
I HOPE ALICIA ROTS IN JAIL. AND HAS NO CHANCE OF GETTING.
R.I.P
EVAN
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Bobby Bitman on Dec 4, 2009 at 10:33 am
Um, 14 years is not so much for beating a woman unconscious while trying to rob her for more crack money; then deciding you had 'gone too far', so you'd better just drown her because dead women don't tell tales. And hey! Here's a concept, lets pull her pants down before throwing her in the river face down, so she'll look like she was raped! Ya, there's the ticket! No one will ever know...
Fourteen years Alicia Murphy. Get used to it and be very glad it's not 25.
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PAS on Dec 4, 2009 at 5:17 am
What the hell!!! This is unbelievable. Why waste the taxpayers dollars on this appeal? What the hell is she worried about, it's not like she's going to a Turkish Prison, and it's too bad she can't be sent to one. She'll be housed, warm, fed and even educated if she wants in jail. She should thank her lucky flippin stars she's in Canada rather than Turkey lets say. Perhaps that's what we should incorporate here, the Turkish Justice/Prison System. I bet the crime in this Territory would drop right the hell off if people started to pay serious, serious consequences for their crimes! Murphy should just suck it up and pay for what she did as it is clearly evident she murdered Evan.
She also has a lot of flippin nerve to be doing this when Evan's family is suffering their loss daily and will suffer for many years to come. This violent, murderous criminal shouldn't have any rights at all as far as I'm concerned. Too bad capital punishment doesn't exist here, Murphy deserves to be snuffed out as coldly and violently as her victim was!
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mosi on Dec 3, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Polluting the Yukon River is an offence by dumping waste into it?
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yukoner on Dec 3, 2009 at 1:21 pm
the hated white man? lol What is wrong with you? Are you implying that the tax payers are only white? Very ignorant of you JC.What a joke.
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tommy smith on Dec 3, 2009 at 10:34 am
to jc. her mom is white so she is half your kind. we all have to pay for this womans crime. natives and white. we also have been paying for the whitemans crimes but u dont hear us complaining.
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jake bilton on Dec 3, 2009 at 10:00 am
you took an innocent life murphy, you deserve life in prison. I hope the appeal judge laughs her back to bc penitentary
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JM on Dec 3, 2009 at 9:26 am
JC,
Considering I pay 1400 a month in taxes and am First Nation, guess its not only the "hated white man" paying for this! smartin up!
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JC on Dec 2, 2009 at 10:24 am
And guess who will be paying for all this appeal stuff - the hated white man of course.