Surrey 6 killers argue abuse of process

VANCOUVER — Two men found guilty of killing six people in British Columbia’s most notorious gang slayings will be allowed a hearing to argue their claims of abuse of process, but their guilty verdicts stand.

The B.C. Court of Appeal has upheld the first-degree murder verdicts for Matthew Johnston and Cody Haevischer in the so-called Surrey Six killings in October 2007.

The court denied their request for a new trial, but it did quash their convictions and send the matter back to court for a hearing on their applications for a stay of proceedings over the abuse of process claims.

Lawyers for the men say they suffered an abuse of process because of police misconduct during the investigation and because the men were kept in solitary confinement for a long period before their trial.