Camera allowed in Vader verdict
An Edmonton judge has granted a media application to have Thursday’s verdict in the Travis Vader double-murder trial to be broadcast via a live-streaming TV camera in the courtroom.
Media lawyer Matt Woodley said it will be the first time a camera has been allowed in a Court of Queen’s Bench criminal proceeding in Alberta.
In a ruling Tuesday, Justice Denny Thomas said the open-court policy is an important legal principle in Canada and he was “not convinced” by the Crown’s argument that broadcasting the oral summary of his written decision “would pose a serious risk” to the administration of justice.
“It’s a purely speculative risk,” said Thomas, adding the broadcast will increase the public’s confidence in the judicial system and help “educate” people about how things work in courtrooms.
However, Thomas said his decision is a “one-off” based on a “certain set of facts” and would not be binding in other cases.
He said his complete written decision is 68,000 words long and he will only read out a “high-level overview” of it.
Court heard one camera will be allowed in the courtroom, but it will only be permitted to show Thomas reading aloud his summary and cannot show Vader or anyone in the public gallery.
Woodley said he was “very pleased” with the decision and called it a “very clear indication” that the important open-court principles have been accepted in the case.
“From my perspective, it’s a big deal,” said Woodley, explaining that viewers will see the proceedings as if they were “sitting in the courtroom” and would be “living it moment-by-moment” just like those in the public gallery.
Both Vader’s lawyer and the family of the elderly St. Albert couple whom Vader is accused of killing were in favour of the media application by the Edmonton Journal, the Edmonton Sun, CBC, CTV, Citytv, The Canadian Press and Global News.
Vader, 44, is facing two counts of first-degree murder for the alleged killings of Lyle McCann, 78, and his wife Marie, 77.
The McCanns were last seen July 3, 2010, leaving a Superstore in St. Albert while en route to B.C. for a family camping vacation.
Two days later, their motorhome was found ablaze at a campground near Edson and the SUV they were towing was discovered in the woods on July 16, 2010. Their bodies have never been found.
During the trial, which wrapped up June 23, court heard police found Vader’s DNA, blood and fingerprints in the SUV, as well as blood spatter from the McCanns.