Nunavut killer denied legal aid for appeal

Jeffrey Salomonie, appearing via a patchy videolink from Millhaven Institution in Kingston, Ont., had to read the lips of a Millhaven guard to understand what was going on at the Nunavut Court of Justice Nov. 15. Salomonie, serving a life sentence at Millhaven for the 2009 murder of Daisy Curley in Iqaluit, has launched an appeal but it’s unclear if he is appealing his conviction or sentence. He has been denied legal aid. (FILE PHOTO)

The Cape Dorset man convicted of murdering Iqaluit resident Daisy Curley will have to explore his options for appeal now that Nunavut’s legal services office has rejected his application for funding assistance.

Jeffrey Salomonie, 50, appeared by video link at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit, Nov. 15, from the Millhaven Institution, a maximum-security jail in Ontario where he is serving his sentence.

Salomonie was sentenced to life in prison last year after he was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Daisy Curley on May 20, 2009.

Salomonie beat Curley repeatedly with a hockey stick at her Happy Valley home in Iqaluit, before he sexually assaulted her and left her to die from her injuries.

His mandatory life sentence means he’s automatically ineligible for parole for at least 25 years.

Lawyer Stephanie Boydell told Justice Bonnie Tulloch during Salomonie’s court appearance that he has 30 days to appeal the legal services board’s decision denying him funding for a lawyer.

Salomonie, who was forced to represent himself, said that a pre-existing hearing condition made it difficult for him to follow the day’s proceedings.

“I have very bad hearing,” Salomonie told the court over a grainy video link from prison.

Because he didn’t have a lawyer, it was also unclear whether Salomonie was appealing his conviction or sentence.

A Millhaven jail guard was forced to relay messages from the court to Salomonie, who could understand the guard by reading his lips.

“I called [legal services] and I didn’t get a response if anyone was supporting me,” Salomonie said.

Tulloch confirmed that Salomonie’s request for funding was denied, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t go ahead with your appeal,” she told him.

Tulloch ordered the production of court records necessary for Salomonie’s appeal, and told the legal services board to provide him with written notification outlining what options he has going forward.

That includes either appealing the board’s decision to deny funding, or applying to the court in a separate application to appoint a lawyer through provisions in the Criminal Code of Canada.

Salomonie, who was clearly struggling to follow court proceedings, interrupted the court to inform Tulloch that he needed to speak with his parole officer before continuing, “so he can respond in a better way.”

Tulloch scheduled the matter to be addressed again on March 14 to give Salomonie time to review his options.