Two sisters who have spent nearly 30 years in prison for what they say are wrongful murder convictions each held an eagle feather while they testified in a courtroom during a bail hearing Tuesday.
"I am a strong believer in my prayers and my culture," Odelia Quewezance said before the hearing in Yorkton, Sask.
"I'm nervous, but I feel strong in my heart. I have nothing to hide."
Odelia and Nerissa Quewezance were convicted in 1994 of second-degree murder in the death of 70-year-old farmer Anthony Joseph Dolff, near Kamsack, Sask.
Defence lawyers are asking for the sisters to get a conditional release while their case is undergoing a federal conviction review. The federal Justice Department started the review last year, saying there may be a reasonable basis to conclude there was a miscarriage of justice.
The sisters from the Keeseekoose First Nation have always maintained their innocence and another person, who was a youth at the time, confessed to the killing.
A judge recently overturned a ban on media publishing what happens during the two-day bail hearing.
The Crown prosecutor asked Odelia Quewezance about her criminal record and previous times she had breached conditions of parole or temporary release during her sentence.
"Today I'm admitting I struggled with addiction, I struggled with intergenerational trauma," Odelia Quewezance told court.
"Today I'm here and I'm proud of myself."
She talked about accessing programming, treatment and counselling and said she's committed to being a mother to her children. She is looking to be released to the home where her partner lives with her twin daughters in Saskatchewan.
"My family, that's what keeps me going," she said.
Odelia Quewezance was 20 years old and her sister was 18 when the pair was arrested for the 1993 stabbing death of the farmer.
The Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear their appeal three years later.
Their lawyer, James Lockyer, has said the sisters were present when Dolff was killed, but the youth who confessed to the killing has testified the sisters were not involved.
"The two sisters, they need their lives back," he previously said in an interview.
The elder sister received day parole last year with strict conditions. She is currently staying at the YWCA in Regina and said it's difficult being around people in the throes of addiction.
Nerissa Quewezance's parole was denied and she has remained behind bars in Fraser Valley Institution for Women in British Columbia.
The Crown prosecutor also questioned Nerissa Quewezance about times she didn't follow conditions when she was given temporary releases. She admitted she, too, struggled with addiction.
Nerissa Quewezance told court it was partially linked to "trauma for being incarcerated for 30 years." She is looking to stay with Congress of Aboriginal Peoples National Vice-Chief Kim Beaudin in his Saskatoon home if she gets conditional release.
Lockyer asked her how being institutionalized all those years has affected her behaviour.
"It affects my way of thinking, my thoughts, my actions," Nerissa Quewezance told court. "I want to have my freedom back that was taken away."
The judge told court that he would be reserving his decision for a later date following the bail hearings.
When the criminal conviction review process is over, a report and legal advice will be prepared for the federal justice minister. The minister can then order a new trial or appeal, or dismiss the application if he is not convinced there has been a miscarriage of justice.
Jesse Straightnose, who was four years old when his aunts were convicted, said it has had a huge effect on the whole family.
Straightnose said outside court that Odelia Quewezance was able to visit his family recently for the first time.
"I hugged her and I didn't let her go for the longest time," Straightnose said. "I have faith."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2023.
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