An independent expert will look into what caused a recent stay of proceedings in two Fredericton-area murder cases.
The Fredericton Police Force announced Wednesday it has hired an Ontario-based lawyer and investigator to conduct a review.
It comes less than two weeks after stays of proceedings were announced in the 2021 death of Corey Christopher Markey and the 2022 death of Brandon Donelan.
“We take full responsibility and accountability for the circumstances that led to this outcome,” Police Chief Gary Forward said in a news release.
“As part of our acknowledgement and commitment to public trust, we are taking immediate steps to examine the error caused on our part and to prevent a reoccurrence.”
Police have only said that the stays of proceedings were the result of an “insurmountable evidentiary issue” that they caused and later discovered.
A total of five people had been facing murder charges in the two cases, including one who was accused of being involved in both deaths.
Two men had been charged with second-degree murder in Markey’s death. He died in the hospital eight days after police said he was shot on Fredericton’s north side in Dec. 2021.
Donelan was found dead between Chipman and Minto in March 2022, two months after he was reported missing. Four people had been charged with first-degree murder in that case.
While police said the findings of the review will be made public, we may never know the exact issue that led to the stays of proceedings being sought.
“Under the Canada Evidence Act, public disclosure of the evidentiary issue in question is prohibited on the grounds that such disclosure would bring the administration of justice into disrepute,” police said in their release.
The review by Ian Scott is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
