Iqaluit man serving life sentence wants new trial

Kootoo Korgak’s appeal of his sentence for the second-degree murder of Sarah Akavak will be spoken to on Aug. 7 and will likely proceed by an Appeal Court judge in August, said Justice Beverley Browne.

Korgak received a life sentence with no chance of parole until 2013 two years ago. He’s serving his time at Millhaven maximum-security prison in Ontario.

The grounds of Korgak’s appeal suggest Justice Mary Heatherington wrongly applied the law to Korgak’s police statement.

Korgak confessed to murdering Akavak the night she was found strangled in their Iqaluit home.

If a new trial is granted, Korgak wants the case heard by judge alone, court records say. His first trial was by judge and jury.

If his application for a new trial is unsuccessful, Korgak wants his parole eligibility reduced to 10 years.