DNA testing on 30-year-old bullet casings ordered in B.C. murder appeal
Bullet casings recovered from the scene of a B.C. woman’s murder 30 years ago will be retested for DNA after the province’s highest court ruled it is “in the interests of justice” to do so in support of an ongoing appeal.
In 1994, Wanda Lee Martin was found dead in a Richmond apartment, fatally shot in front of her 18-month-old son. The murder weapon was never found, last week’s decision from the B.C. Court of Appeal notes. Shell casings were, however, recovered from the scene.
The three-judge panel has ordered those casings and the DNA swabbed from them to be handed over for further testing, allowing for the possibility that it could yield fresh evidence in the decades-old slaying for which Martin’s former partner says he was wrongfully convicted.
In 2001, William Wade Skiffington was found guilty of second-degree murder. That conviction was based on incriminating statements Skiffington made to an undercover officer during a so-called “Mr. Big” sting operation.
“The appellant says those statements were coerced and untrue,” the Sept. 24 decision from the B.C. appeal court says.
Skiffington spent nearly 18 years in prison after his conviction. After exhausting his options to challenge the conviction through the courts, Skiffington’s counsel appealed directly to the federal justice minister for a review of the case. He was granted bail in 2019 while that review was underway.
Skiffington has maintained his innocence and the decision releasing him from prison notes that he was denied parole “primarily” because he would not participate in programming that required him to admit guilt.
“In short, a strong case can be made that the sole or at least primary reason the applicant is not currently in the community on structured release is his continued assertion of innocence, and desire to have his conviction reviewed,” the judge said at that time.
In 2022, the minister found there was “a reasonable basis to conclude that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred in relation to the 2001 conviction” and ordered a new appeal to be heard – mainly on the grounds that it was based on a potentially coerced and legally inadmissible confession.
However, the most recent decision on the case also notes that there was “no forensic evidence of any kind” to link Skiffington to the crime scene or to Martin’s slaying. The court also heard that human DNA was recovered from the bullet casings as part of the ministerial review.
“Ms. Martin died from gunshot wounds. The identity of the shooter was the primary issue at trial. The appellant submits that DNA evidence obtained from the shell casings may assist in demonstrating that his conviction reflects a miscarriage of justice,” the decision said.
There was not enough DNA recovered to meet the threshold required for testing by the RCMP but the most recent ruling will allow the evidence to be released to the British Columbia Institute of Technology, which requires a lower threshold.
“If the testing of the shell casings and the DNA swab reveals evidence relevant to the appeal, it may also form part of a fresh evidence application,” the decision said.
If DNA can be tested, an expert will be required to prepare a report on the results and share it with the RCMP, the Crown and Skiffington’s counsel within five weeks of receiving the exhibits.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
WATCH LIVE From essential goods to common stocking stuffers, Trudeau offering Canadians temporary tax relief
Consumers will receive a temporary tax break on essential items and common stocking stuffers heading into the holiday season, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday, alongside a spring $250 rebate for 18.7 million Canadians.
Here's a list of items that will be GST/HST-free over the holidays
Canadians won’t have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
Mother charged after infant dies in midtown Toronto: police
The mother of an infant who died after being found at an apartment building in midtown Toronto on Wednesday has been charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life.
2 arrested during Greenpeace protest outside Stornoway residence in Ottawa
Two people have been arrested following a protest outside Stornoway, the official residence of Canada's leader of the Opposition.
Arrest warrant issued for suspect charged in Toronto airport gold heist
Peel police say a bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of one of the suspects charged in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Son of Norway crown princess detained for one week in rape probe
The son of Norway's crown princess will be jailed for up to one week while police investigate accusations of rape made against him, a judge ruled on Wednesday.
Watch Dramatic video shows officers save driver from burning truck after brakes fail
Stunning video shows officers in Columbus, Ohio jumping into action to save a driver from his burning pickup truck.
Jussie Smollett's conviction in 2019 attack on himself is overturned
The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned actor Jussie Smollett's conviction on charges that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in downtown Chicago in 2019 and lied to police.
Canadian painting found in barn, purchased for US$50 sells for hundreds of thousands at auction
An Emily Carr painting that sold for US$50 at an estate sale has fetched C$290,000 at a Toronto auction.