Man convicted in 1996 Winnipeg triple murder must wait to hear if he'll get bail

One of three men convicted in a Winnipegtriple murder 22 years ago hopes to get out on bail.

Robert Sandersonmade an application in a Winnipeg court Friday. Court of Queen's Bench Justice Sheldon Lanchberyreserved his decision for a later date.

Wearing a green shirt, withhis grey hair tied back in a long ponytail, a shackledSandersonwas escortedinto court and waved at about 10loved ones in the gallery.

JusticeLanchberyissued a publication ban before hearing submissions fromCrown prosecutorMark Kantor and Sanderson's defence team, which includes lawyerJamesLockyer with Innocence Canada, formerly known as theAssociation in Defence of the WronglyConvicted. Lockyerthan said he had no plans of requesting such a ban.

Sanderson was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the Aug. 6, 1996, deaths ofJason Gross, RusselKrowetzandStefanZurstag.

Roger Sanderson andRobert Tews were also convicted inthe fatal torturing, stabbing and shooting of the menin what police say was part of agang turf war over control of prostitution in Winnipeg.

Police found a hair on the foot of a victim and claimed lab analysis known as hair microscopy showed it was Sanderson's.

The same type of hair testing led to the conviction of James Driskell and Kyle Unger in separate Winnipeg murder cases in the early 1990s.

2 other men released after new tests

But in the mid-2000s, new advanced DNA tests revealed the hair samples didn't match any of the three menand cast doubt on the reliability of the original hair testing method.

Driskell was released and eventually received $4 million in compensation. The province backed a federal review of Unger's case, which was also handled by Lockyer,and he was released more than a decade ago.

In 2005, the Manitoba government said there was no"obvious miscarriage of justice" and wouldn't endorse a federal review of Sanderson's conviction as it did for Unger, in partbecause a review found there was still ample circumstantial evidence incriminating Sanderson.

That disappointed Lockyer, who told CBCNews at the time that a "substantial piece of the Crown's case is now shown to be false."

Witnesses testified to events before and after the murders, and traces of the victims' blood were foundin Sanderson's car and on a bat in the trunk.

One of the three men in the case was released after two additional trials ordered by the Court of Appeal.

Sanderson continues to servea life sentence.

Winnipeg man convicted in triple homicide asks for bail

6 years ago

Duration 1:21

Robert Sanderson, one of three men convicted in a Winnipeg triple murder in 1996, was in court Friday seeking bail.