Lawyer wants second opinion on Nunavut homicide victim’s autopsy

The case of Steven Akkitirq, an Igloolik man charged with first degree murder in relation to the death of a young woman in Igloolik last year, may boil down to an issue of manslaughter versus murder, his lawyer said in court July 13. (FILE PHOTO)

The lawyer representing Steven Akittirq, an Igloolik man charged with first degree murder, asked the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit July 13 for an adjournment that would allow time for the defence to seek a second opinion on an autopsy performed on the young woman Akittirq is accused of killing.

Police charged Akittirq, 25, with first degree murder on June 12, 2014, after finding the body of a young woman just outside Igloolik.

“I have received from the Crown the file in relation to the autopsy and am seeking a second opinion on the autopsy,” defence lawyer Alison Crowe told Justice Robert Kilpatrick.

“It’s an issue of whether this is potentially a first degree murder case [or] it’s a case… that may well resolve with manslaughter. That will be the issue, ultimately.”

First degree murder is a homicide committed with intent and planning, while manslaughter is a homicide committed, usually, with no intent to kill.

According to court documents, Akittirq is also charged with possession of an illegal drug, two counts of assault and one count of assault causing bodily harm.

But Akittirq has yet to enter pleas on those counts, the court heard, because Crowe has asked the court to deal first with the more serious homicide charge.

Kilpatrick adjourned the case until Aug. 31 when Crowe is expected to give an update on her attempts to get a second opinion on the autopsy of the deceased woman.

Akittirq did not appear in court July 13 and is currently held at a detention centre in British Columbia while renovations at the Baffin Correctional Centre continue.