Man accused of murder in Yellowknife fires his third lawyer

A murder trial that was scheduled to begin in Yellowknife on Monday has been postponed.

Devon Larabie is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Breanna Menacho in a Yellowknife apartment on May 6, 2020.

In Northwest Territories Supreme Court on Wednesday,Larabie fired his lawyer,Scott Cowan.

Cowan is the third publicly funded lawyer to be dismissed by Larabie. He was retained on July 21, 2021.

In his application to be removed from the case, Cowan wrote that his obligation to keep discussions with Larabie confidential prevent him from elaborating "on the nature of the breakdown of the solicitor-client relationship."

According to court documents, the prosecutor was caught off-guard by the move. He noted witnesses and family members had already booked travel to Yellowknife for the trial, which has been scheduled for months.

He and an N.W.T. Legal Services Board official are due in court Tuesday to determine what happens next in the case.

Larabie remains in custody at the North Slave Correctional Centre.