A Nova Scotia man convicted of second-degree murder and interfering with a dead body will learn when he will be eligible to apply for parole on Monday.
Christopher Garnier, 30, was found guilty of killing Catherine Campbell in December.
Campbell was a member of the Truro Police Service and a volunteer firefighter. She was off duty at the time of her death.
The 36-year-old was last seen alive in the early morning hours Sept. 11, 2015. Her body was found four days later in a wooded area under the Macdonald Bridge in Halifax.
WATCH: Jury finds Christopher Garnier guilty of second-degree murder in death of Catherine Campbell
During the month-long trial, the Crown argued that Garnier struck Campbell on the head and strangled her at his friend’s apartment on McCully Street. The Crown said once she was dead, Garnier placed her lifeless body in a green bin, wheeled it through north-end Halifax and dumped it in thick brush.
The defence said Campbell’s death was the result of an unfortunate accident that occurred during rough sex, which she initiated with Garnier after meeting him at the Halifax Alehouse.
Ultimately, the jury took only 4.5 hours to determine Garnier was guilty.
WATCH: Surveillance video from inside the Halifax Alehouse on the night the Crown alleges off-duty Truro police officer Catherine Campbell was killed
A second-degree murder conviction comes with an automatic life sentence.
However, a parole eligibility hearing will be held at Nova Scotia Supreme Court to determine when Garnier can apply for parole. Parole ineligibility for second-degree murder can range anywhere from 10 to 25 years.
Victim impact statements from members of Catherine Campbell`s family are expected to be read in court as part of the hearing.
READ: Researchers examine the use of Twitter in the Christopher Garnier trial
Garnier is appealing his conviction.
According to court documents, Garnier lists six grounds of appeal. Among them, he believes the trial judge erred in law when he found that Garnier’s section 7 Charter rights were not violated and when he considered Garnier’s second statement to the police was “free and voluntary.”
Garnier’s file for appeal also alleges Justice Joshua Arnold’s charge to the jury “was so complicated and convoluted that no ordinary juror would be able to understand it.”
A date to hear the appeal has not been set.
READ MORE: Christopher Garnier appealing second-degree murder conviction
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