Earlier this year, Lloyd Stang (left) speaks with media as Pouria Tabrizi-Reardigan (right) stands beside him. MBC file photo.
The family of one La Loche murder victim is disappointed by a further delay in sentencing for the mass shooter who claimed four lives on Jan. 22, 2016, says the northern community’s mayor.
Final questioning and adult sentencing arguments were supposed to go ahead on Friday for the now-19-year-old killer, but now Mayor Robert St. Pierre says that will all be on hold until possibly October.
St. Pierre says this is all because the lead Crown prosecutor in the case, Lloyd Stang, has been promoted to become a judge. St. Pierre and about 20 people from La Loche found this out in Meadow Lake court on Friday. Just last week, court delayed the arguments to allow prosecution to cross-examine experts who provided new evidence in the case.
“The family of one of the victims is disappointed because she wants to get on with her life and these court proceedings just continue, the continuation of these court proceeding is having its toll,” he told MBC by phone after court was adjourned until Sept. 11. At that time, court will plot the timeline for final arguments and sentencing.
St. Pierre says he doesn’t feel more frustrated about the delay than he did last week because “of the nature of it. The guy got promoted and he had to leave his former job… and that was probably his ultimate goal is to become a judge, right? So what can you do? It’s out of our hands. Some things are out of our control.” Still, St. Pierre says having to wait longer for a conclusion takes a toll on La Loche as a community.
The province announced this morning that Stang’s appointment will be as a provincial court judge in Melfort. Pouria Tabrizi-Reardigan, a prosecutor who had been attending recent hearings with Stang, will be taking over as lead prosecutor in the case.