Successful murder appeal: Defence deprived of right to have alternative theories advanced

By John L. Hill ( April 10, 2025, 5:20 PM EDT) -- In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed an order for new first-degree murder trials for an Ontario woman and three others who were convicted in an attack on her parents. Jennifer Pan was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years for first-degree murder, and life for attempted murder, for a 2010 attack that left her mother dead and her father with a serious head wound. Her three co-accused were convicted on the same charges. The April 10 ruling grants new first-degree murder trials for all four but also affirmed convictions for attempted murder (R. v. Pan, 2025 SCC 12)....