The case of Albert Giesbrecht, the Burns Lake resident charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death ofRaymond George Bishop, has not moved forward since his first court appearance in May.
Giesbrecht was expected to appear in the Smithers Supreme Court on June 19, 2017 for a judicial interim release hearing (bailhearing). However, this hearing still hasn’t taken place.
“Previous dates have been adjourned and no new date has been set,” explained Dan McLaughlin, a spokesperson for theMinistry of Attorney General.
Earlier this year, McLaughlin said it’s not uncommon for defence counsels to ask for bail hearings to be adjourned. This allowsthe defence counsel more time to make a case. A court hearing is where a judge decides whether to release the accusedperson from custody while they wait for their trial or some other result.
“An accused person is entitled to a release or bail hearing once he’s been arrested, but because he’s been arrested for a first-degree murder offence, the onus is on him to show cause why he should be released,” explained McLaughlin. “Normally theonus is on the Crown to show why someone should be detained; but in this case, because of the nature of the offence and theprovisions of the Criminal Code, the onus is essentially reversed.”
The date for his next court appearance is expected to be set on Oct. 16, 2017.
The Burns Lake RCMP found Bishop deceased on the Southside on May 18, 2017 after receiving multiple calls from localresidents at around 6:30 a.m.
North District Major Crime and forensic experts were called to the community to assist the Burns Lake RCMP with thisinvestigation. Anyone with information on this homicide should call the Burns Lake RCMP at 250-692-7171.