Robert William Pickton's revamped defence team will appeal the serial killer's second-degree murder convictions, but neither the Crown nor the defence expect to appear in the higher court any time soon.

Robert William Pickton, seen here in a court sketch done during his trial, was sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for the maximum 25 years after his conviction on six second-degree murder charges.
(CBC)

Gil McKinnon, who will be among a new legal team representing Pickton and who specializes in appellate work, said the defence will argue the trial judge made some incorrect rulings during the trial.

It will take several months to review those rulings and prepare arguments before an appeal is heard, he said on Tuesday.

Pickton, a former Port Coquitlam pig farmer, was convicted Dec. 9, 2007, of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced two days later to a term of life imprisonment with no chance to apply for parole for 25 years. He had been charged with six counts of first-degree murder.

On Monday, the Crown filed its own appeal, anticipating an appeal from the defence. It wanted pre-emptively to try to ensure that if a new trial is ordered, the B.C. Court of Appeal orders it on first-degree, not second-degree, murder charges.

The Crown contended that B.C. Supreme Court Justice James Williams, who presided over the Pickton trial that began in January 2007, made numerous errors. If there is a new trial, it wants the court to rule that it should be on 26 first-degree murder counts.

McKinnon said the backlog in British Columbia's highest court is not overwhelming, but he estimated the two sides won't be able to make their arguments until late this year or early next year.

Pickton still faces charges of killing another 20 women, the result of Justice Williams's decision to split the case into two last year.

The status of that second trial has been unclear and the intention of both sides to appeal the verdicts in the first case does nothing to offer the families of the 20 other women any certainty, said Lilliane Beaudoin, whose sister Diane Rock is among the 20.

"This (appeal) could take another year to decide what's going to be done," she said. "Everything is still speculation, and there's no guarantee they're going to do it."

Nevertheless, she still wants a trial.

"I need justice for my sister and the remaining women," said Beaudoin. "You don't just charge somebody with murder and then just drop the charges."