COVID-19 wreaking ‘havoc’ on Robert Clifford murder trial, judge says

The Robert Clifford second-degree murder retrial has been strike with a COVID-19 curveball. 

Clifford is accused of killing his estranged spouse Nichole in February 2017. The youthful mother of two suffered 17 stab wounds in her Wainwright property. 

Clifford was located responsible in February 2021, but a mistrial was declared last June and a new demo was purchased. 

On Monday, Clifford’s lawyer argued that the murder charge ought to be stayed mainly because the case has been just before the courts for just about 5 many years. 

The choose reserved his choice and the system was to commence hearing retrial proof on Tuesday.

But first factor Tuesday morning, defence law firm Timothy Dunlap suggested the courtroom that his co-counsel, Curtis Mennie, has tested optimistic for COVID-19. 

“Yesterday throughout my submissions he was coughing,” Dunlap mentioned. “Just after we were carried out, we were going for walks out to the automobile and he failed to glimpse fantastic.”

Dunlap explained to the decide that Mennie stayed at his house all through the weekend whilst they prepared their legal arguments. He made the decision to also go into isolation due to the fact Mennie had been a near get hold of.

“Unfortunately COVID has wrought a little bit of havoc on this trial,” Calgary-dependent Courtroom of Queen’s Justice Nicholas Devlin observed. 

Devlin heard the lawful submissions remotely on Monday and Tuesday after advising the court docket that he was battling his next bout with COVID. 

“I finally analyzed damaging this morning,” Devlin reported on Tuesday, noting it experienced been 10 days given that he to start with analyzed positive.

On July 4, the Courtroom of Queen’s Bench taken out required masking and social distancing in all Alberta courthouses. 

The demo has been adjourned till upcoming 7 days.