The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed Norman Larue’s appeal of his first-degree murder conviction for the 2008 slaying of Gordon Seybold, presumably bringing an end to what became six years’ worth of legal battles.
The country’s court dismissed the case on April 23 after hearing Larue’s appeal of right.
The court had also dismissed in November 2018 Larue’s application for leave to appeal on the same conviction.
The Supreme Court of Canada does not provide reasons for its decisions when it dismisses cases.
Larue was convicted by a Whitehorse jury of first-degree murder in 2013 after a trial that saw the sheriff’s office issue 1,300 summonses in an effort to find suitable jurors.
Larue’s then-partner, Christina Asp, had been convicted by a jury the year prior of second-degree murder at a separate trial for her role in Seybold’s death.
Both sets of juries found that Larue and Asp had severely beaten Seybold at his Ibex Valley home before setting it on fire and leaving the scene, apparently because Seybold had gotten into a dispute with Asp’s mother.
The pair was ultimately busted after investigators launched a “Mr. Big” operation focusing on Asp, convincing her that she was being recruited into a criminal organization and then to disclose incriminating details about her past to an undercover officer posing as a crime boss.
The “Mr. Big” evidence — namely, recordings of Asp telling the undercover officer about Seybold’s murder — was also used in Larue’s trial after Asp refused to testify against him.
Larue argued to the Yukon Court of Appeal, which dismissed his case in 2018, and then to the Supreme Court of Canada that the evidence should have never been admitted based on Asp’s trustworthiness (or lack thereof) and the circumstances under which her statements were solicited.
He had requested from both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada that his first-degree murder conviction be set aside and that a new trial be ordered.
Contact Jackie Hong at jackie.hong@yukon-news.com