SASKATOON – More details have emerged on why the Saskatoon judge presiding over the Douglas Hales first-degree murder trial has rejected the defence’s request to reopen the case.
In a written decision handed down Thursday, Judge Allbright states that he would have allowed the application and new evidence to be called he if felt it would impact Hales right to a fair trial.
“I am satisfied that the issue which the new evidence potentially could deal with has been fully and completely put before me during the course of the trial,” stated Allbright in a six-page decision.
If the judge had granted the application, the defence had planned on calling evidence that would have be psychological in nature, a psychologist that had testified before in Mr. Big cases and had his evidence accepted by the courts.
In September, Allbright rejected the defence’s request for a mistrial in the case as well.
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Douglas Hales, 36, is accused of killing Daleen Bosse in May 2004 and was charged charged four years later after he led undercover officers to her body.
Hales is also charged with offering an indignity to the human remains.
The trial commenced on May 5 with testimony from number of Crown witnesses including the undercover officers involved in the “Mr. Big” sting. Officers who posed as criminals and got Hales to confess to murdering Bosse.
During the trial, Hales took the stand and said he accidentally killed Bosse with alcohol as the two partied together then burnt her body after he panicked.
The Crown argued Bosse’s death was the result of Hales strangling Bosse and that he placed her in a fire pit without knowing if she was dead or alive.
On Nov. 14, both the Crown and the defence will be allowed to make final submissions on this ruling.
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