NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - A B.C. judge appealed for patience from the families of the women Robert Pickton is accused of killing after deciding that the convicted serial killer won't face trial on an additional 20 counts of murder until an appeal of his original convictions is heard.
B.C. Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm announced Monday that a date for Pickton's second trial won't be set until after the B.C. Appeal Court deals with the appeal of the first six convictions - an appeal that won't be heard for another year.
"It has not been overlooked that there are many persons whose voices have not been heard," Dohm told the courtroom, as Pickton watched from the prisoner's box.
"The court appreciates the silent voices' cry for a conclusion to this ordeal."
But the plea was of little comfort to one woman, who is losing hope she'll ever find closure in her sister's death.
Susie Kinshella, whose sister Wendy Crawford disappeared from the Downtown Eastside in 1999, is worried her sister's voice will stay silent forever.
"And we have to wait to see if he wins his appeal or if he doesn't win his appeal, and it's disturbing, because if they write the other 20 women off then we don't have that complete closure," she said outside the courthouse.
"They talk about Pickton having his rights - what about the women? Aren't they entitled to rights, as well? Aren't they entitled to having closure?"
The Crown only wants to proceed with the outstanding murder charges if Pickton's first six convictions are overturned and argued a second trial shouldn't go ahead until the appeal is finished.
Pickton's lawyers said it could take years for the case to make its way through the provincial appeal court and potentially the Supreme Court of Canada, and waiting would violate Pickton's right to a fair trial.
However, Dohm noted that Pickton is already in prison serving a maximum sentence, making concerns about a speedy second trial less worrisome.
Pickton was sentenced in December to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years after he was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder.
His right to a speedy trial "does not come into play to the extent it would if the appellant had not been convicted," Dohm said.
That right hasn't been suspended, but rather "held in abeyance," he said.
The appeal is scheduled to begin March 30, 2009, with about two weeks set aside for the case.
Dohm said when a decision on that appeal is handed down, a hearing will be scheduled three weeks later to set a date for the second trial, if the Crown still wants proceed with the 20 charges.
Pickton faced 26 first-degree murder counts in total, but the judge in the trial separated the charges into two separate trials to simplify the process.
The decision to sever the charges is among the issues that will be considered by the appeal court.
The first trial lasted 23 months, including preliminary arguments that were under a publication ban.
