Convicted killer’s appeal should be heard this spring: lawyer

Convicted murderer Chris Bishop may get to appeal his triple murder sentence as early as this spring. Toronto lawyer James Morton, who took over as Bishop’s legal counsel last fall, says the appeal will centre around Bishop’s attempt to defend himself during a home invasion the night of Jan. 6, 2007, when Bishop shot and killed three people and wounded another two. (FILE PHOTO)

The lawyer representing convicted murderer Chris Bishop hopes an appeal launched by his client will be heard by the Nunavut Court of Appeal as early as this spring.

Bishop, who grew up in Iqaluit, then moved to Edmonton and Cambridge Bay, is serving a triple murder sentence for the Jan. 6., 2007 shooting deaths of Kevin Komaksiut, 21, and Keith Atatahak, 28, of Cambridge Bay, as well as Dean Costa, 29, of Edmonton.

Bishop was also convicted of attempted murder in the wounding of Logan Pigalak and Antoinette Bernhardt, who Bishop shot during the same incident.

Bishop was sentenced to at least 16 years in prison – a sentence he has been serving since 2010 at the maximum security Kingston Penitentiary in Kingston, Ont.

But two months after his conviction, in October, 2010, Bishop’s lawyer Scott Wheildon filed a notice of appeal.

Now, Toronto lawyer James Morton, who took over as Bishop’s lawyer last fall, says his client’s convictions should be thrown out and a new trial held.

The appeal will centre around Bishop’s attempts to defend himself during a home invasion on the night of Jan. 6, 2007, Morton told Nunatsiaq News.

Three years after one of the territory’s deadliest crimes, Morton said the history of those who invaded Bishop’s home that night in 2007 is still largely unknown.

“This was a violent home invasion – no one disputes that,” Morton said. “Five people kicked in my client’s door [and] they were certainly there to assault him – possibly to kill him. He had a gun and shot [at them], obviously defending himself. As a result, he killed three and wounded two.

“The real question is – was it reasonable?”

Information about the motives of the five people who invaded Bishop’s home was never heard by the jury during the original trial, Morton said, while other circumstantial evidence was.

Testimony from one witness, who said Bishop boasted of killing people before the incident, should never have been put forward to the jury, Morton said.

Morton said the appeal hearing date should be set by the end of March. He said he’s cautiously optimistic the hearing will be held in the spring, but no later than the fall of 2012.