BC Attorney General Wally Oppal says the Crown won't proceed on the remaining twenty murder charges against Robert Pickton if Pickton's appeals of his six, second-degree murder convictions are dismissed.
Oppal has called this one exactly right. The families of the other victims might want to hear Pickton pronounced guilty of their loved ones' killings but that's not reason enough to undertake the herculean effort and expense that further trials would entail. Don't forget, the province also has to fund Pickton's legal aid defence team.
The evidence on the 26-counts varied in quantity and quality. The six counts on which Pickton was convicted weren't picked at random. They were chosen by the Crown as its strongest cases against Pickton. Convictions on the remaining cases, especially convictions for murder, aren't as certain.
For all the grumbling of the law and order types, the system does recognize that "life means life" for the worst offenders. That's why you won't be getting an employment resume from Clifford Olsen anytime soon or, for that matter, ever. Likewise there's not the slightest chance Robert Pickton will ever see another day as a free man.
It's time to slam the cell door on Robert Pickton. Wally Oppal made the right call.
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