Defence lawyers in court to appeal Cody Legebokoff's 1st-degree murder convictions

Lawyers for a man known as one of Canada's youngest serial killers are in court todayarguing for the appeal ofhis first-degree murder convictions.

Cody Legebokoff was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder in September 2014 for the deaths ofLoren Donn Leslie, Jill StaceyStuchenko, Cynthia FrancesMaas and Natasha Lynn Montgomery, who died in 2009 and 2010 near Prince George, B.C.

He wassentenced to life in prison with no parolefor 25 years.

When the appeal was filed in February 2015, defence lawyer EricGottardisaid he wasfocusing on his client's failed attempt to change thelocation of the trial, which took place in Prince George.

Legebokoffapplied to move the trial to Vancouver, but B.C.Supreme Court Judge GlenParrettrejected the request at the time.

Arguments will be heard before threecourt judges this morning at the B.C. Court of Appeal.

'No justice for the victims'

The 26-year-old convicted killer won't be in the courtroom, but some of the families of the victimswill be there.

Doug Leslie, the father of Loren Leslie,says hedoesn't thinkthe appeal should be granted.

"Absolutely not! That'sthe area where he did the crime, sothat'sthe area he should be tried in," he said."With the heinousness of the crime and the DNA, itwouldn'tmatter where it was it would turn out the same."

Loren Leslie was the youngest of the four victims at just 15 years old. Police cracked the case shortly after the teenwas found dead on a remote logging road just off of Highway 27 near Vanderhoof, B.C., in November 2010.

When he speaks about his daughter, there's still so much pain in Doug Leslie's voice.

"God, there's too much to tell," he said. "Well, she's gone and there's nothing I can do about that."

Leslie says he feels it's important to show up in person to the appeal.

"I feel it's very important for us as family to be there to show concern for our justice system," he said."We are family of the victims, and there is no justice for the victims."

With files fromDeborahGoble