Crown appeals stay of proceedings in case of Quebec judge accused of killing wife

The Crown says it will appeal a Quebec Superior Court ruling that prevented a former judge from facing a new murder trial in the killing of his wife.

Jacques Delisle, 86, had his application for a stay of proceedings accepted by Quebec Superior Court Justice Jean-Francoismond in a ruling issued April 8.

The Crown prosecutor's office said Thursday on Twitter it is appealing that ruling, adding that it wouldn't comment further for the moment.

A former judge on the Quebec Court of Appeal, Delisle was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2009 death of his wife, Marie Nicole Rainville, and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

His appeal was dismissed in 2013, and the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear his case. He spent nine years behind bars before he was freed last year.

In April 2021, Federal Justice Minister David Lametti ordered a new trial for the ex-judge after concluding a miscarriage of justice likely occurred in the case, having reviewed evidence that was not before the courts at the time of Delisle's trial or appeal.

Delisle'slawyers argued successfully that a retrial would be impossible because a Crown expert had made serious errors in a pathology report. They also said there had been unreasonable delays in the case.