A preliminary trial for two suspects who alledgedly murdered a man in the Ibex Valley began yesterday in a Yukon court.
Norman Larue and Christina Asp are charged with murdering Gordon Seybold in his Whitehorse-area home in March 2008. The 63-year-old’s house was gutted in a fire.
The pair were arrested in Strathmore, Alberta, in July 2009 and later transported to the Yukon.
The preliminary trial, expected to last two weeks, will determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.
If the trial does go ahead, it is expected to be one of the most expensive in Yukon’s history because the case will rely on the testimony of a number of undercover police.
Larue and Asp have also used Legal Aid to hire Outside lawyers who specialize in this type of case.
Undercover evidence is problematic because it raises charter concerns, said Nils Clarke, executive director of Yukon Legal Services, during an interview last January.
“There’s a lot of possible charter arguments,” said Clarke. “There are so many police witnesses.”
No evidence presented during the preliminary trial can be published. (James Munson)