Randy Riley, convicted for a 2010 killing of a pizza delivery driver but who is now awaiting a new trial in the case, has been granted bail on conditions.
The conditions include being subject to an electronic monitor.
The reasons behind the decision made by Justice Joshua Arnold inside a Nova Scotia Supreme courtroom on Friday are under a publication ban.
In 2018, Riley was convicted of second-degree murder in the killing of 27-year-old Donald Chad Smith, who died on Oct. 23, 2010.
Smith, a pizza delivery driver, was found with a gunshot wound to the upper right side of his body outside a Dartmouth apartment complex. His red pizza delivery bag was found next to him.
During the trial in 2018, the Crown called a witness who admitted to pulling the trigger and said Riley wasn’t involved, but the trial judge warned jurors against considering the evidence.
Riley was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years.
In November 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada ordered a new trial for Riley, after he appealed his case to the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. Riley’s defence team argued the judge’s warning to the jurors in 2018 was inappropriate, and damaged the case.
In December, the court ordered a two-day bail hearing for Riley, scheduled to occur in February.
Friday morning, Justice Arnold announced his decision to grant bail. Riley’s new jury trial is scheduled to start in October of this year.
Other bail conditions for Riley include that he remain in the province, that he have no firearms or weapons, and that he doesn’t drink alcohol or consume any controlled substances.
Riley has been incarcerated since his arrest in July 2013.
— With files from The Canadian Press.