N.B. man accused of killing elderly couple seeks lawyer change
Last Updated: Thursday, August 3, 2006 | 6:23 AM AT
CBC News
A Fredericton judge is expected to decide Friday whether a man accused of the grisly killings of an elderly couple will be able to fire his defence lawyer.
Gregory Allan Despres, 23, is scheduled to stand trial beginning Sept. 5 on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Frederick Franklin Fulton, 74, and his common-law wife, Veronica (Verna) Decarie, 70.
Their bodies were discovered in their home in Minto on April 26, 2005, by Fulton's daughter. Both had been stabbed repeatedly, and Fulton had been decapitated.
Gregory Alan Depres, seen led from the Fredericton courthouse in an earlier appearance, is seeking to fire his defence laywer. The judge in the case is expected to decide on the matter on Friday.
(File photo)
Following a closed-door conference on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Paul Hawkins told reporters Despres was seeking, for the second time, to fire defence lawyer Randy Maillet.
As sheriff's officers led Despres from the courthouse Wednesday, a reporter asked why he wanted to fire his lawyer.
"Just a difference of opinion, that's all," he said calmly.
Judge Judy Clendenning of the Court of Queen's Bench, who will preside over the case, will decide whether Despres can change his representation.
Hearings postponed
Voir dire hearings on admissibility of evidence, which were set to begin Thursday, have been postponed until the decision is rendered.
Despres, a neighbour of the couple, was arrested in Massachusetts a day after the bodies were discovered.
Customs officials in Calais, Me., later confirmed that they seized a variety of weapons from Despres, including a chainsaw, a homemade sword, a hatchet and brass knuckles when he crossed the border. Despres, an American citizen, was allowed to enter the U.S.
At an extradition hearing in Boston last July, a U.S. federal prosecutor said DNA from blood on the sweatshirt that Despres was wearing when he was arrested had been matched to Fulton.
Fulton was a musician with the Rhythmaires, a local country band that played legions and dance halls in the province for more than 30 years. He was named to the Minto Country Music Wall of Fame in 2001.
With files from the Canadian Press
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