Crown given more time to consider retrial for retired Quebec judge accused of murdering wife

Crown prosecutors have had three weeks to review documents in former Quebec judge Jacques Delisle’s case and decide whether to move forward with a new trial for the murder of his wife.

The retired judge, now 86, appeared today at the same Quebec courthouse where, in 2012, he was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2009 death of his wife, Marie Nicole Rainville, and was sentenced to life in prison without any chance of parole for 25 years.

However, in April the federal justice minister ordered a retrial after new information about the case came to light. David Lametti concluded that “a miscarriage of justice likely occurred” in Delisle’s case, and a week later the ex-judge was released on bail pending his retrial.

During his nine years behind bars, Delisle maintained his innocence, saying his wife killed herself with a gun he owned. Delisle is the only judge in Canada to have been imprisoned for first degree murder.

He exhausted all legal avenues after appealing his conviction to the Supreme Court, which refused to hear his case. His last resort was a direct appeal to the federal Minister of Justice for a ministerial review, which was submitted in spring 2015 and was successful.

Last month, Delisle’s lawyers filed a request for a stay of proceedings with the court, alleging the original pathology report contained errors that contributed to Delisle’s conviction.

Crown prosecutors have until October 1 to make their decision. If they decide to proceed with a trial, Delisle’s next court appearance is scheduled for December 6.