Sask. sisters convicted of murder reunite in front of courthouse with hope to clear their names
Two Indigenous sisters, who are among Canada’s longest serving female inmates, saw each other for the first time in 18 years, outside a Yorkton, Sask. courthouse on Thursday.
The Quewezance sisters were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in 1994 for the death of Kamsack farmer Anthony Joseph Dolff.
Both sisters have maintained their innocence for nearly three decades and will apply for bail on Jan. 17, while federal prosecutors investigate a possible miscarriage of justice in their case.
In 2021 the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) called for the immediate release of the two sisters after Jason Keshane, a man who was with them the day of the crime, admitted to being responsible for the killing.
“I stabbed him and beat him up,” Keshane told the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.
Keshane, who was a youth when the crime was committed, was handed a four-year sentence for second degree murder.
“I feel I’m ready for this. I’m really excited to see my sister,” said Odelia Quewezance moments before meeting her sister, Nerissa.
Nerissa arrived in the back of an RCMP vehicle, and then the two sisters hugged outside the Court of King’s Bench in Yorkton. They hadn’t seen each other since their father’s funeral in 2004.
“It was surreal. It was emotional when I was sitting with her in the courtroom,” Nerissa said.
The women were there for a hearing that would determine whether media can report on the upcoming bail proceedings.
Saskatchewan Crown Attorney Kelly Kaip said she requested a publication ban to ensure a fair hearing.
The sister’s defence attorney and co-founder of Innocence Canada, James Lockyer, said there is no new evidence that will taint the proceedings, and the public has a right to know.
The judge has reserved his decision on the publication ban for now, but will announce it next week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.