HALIFAX — Christopher Falconer will be going before a panel of judges next month looking to get a new trial.
The 32-year-old was convicted in the murder of Amber Kirwan on Jan. 28, 2013. Less than a month after a jury of his peers found him guilty of first-degree murder, Falconer filed an application for appeal from behind bars.
Kirwan went missing after a night out with friends on Oct. 8, 2011. Her remains were found less then a month later in Heathbell, N.S.
Scott Falconer Jr., Chris’ father, said he was “very happy” with his son’s decision to file an application for an appeal at the time. The family believes Falconer did not get a fair trial and that the case should have had a change of venue.
Falconer is proceeding with his appeal without a lawyer.
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Mike Taylor served as the Falconer’s defence lawyer during the trial, which brought together hundreds of people. Spectators stood in line for hours to get a seat inside the courtroom, which was full to capacity through the entire trial.
Cell phones had to be banned during the first week of the trial because a member of the public took a photo of Falconer and posted it to social media, something that’s not allowed inside Nova Scotia courtrooms.
Kirwan’s parents, Marjorie and Don, were present every day of the trial and both testified.
When the guilty verdict came back, Marjorie Kirwan told Global News she was “very” pleased with the decision.
Kirwan’s death is Falconer’s second murder conviction. He pleaded guilty in 1998 to second-degree murder, after he and another teenage boy killed a taxi driver on Heathbell Road in Pictou, the same area where Kirwan’s remains were found.
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