B.C. Supreme Court Justice Glen Parrett turned down an application to have the trial for now-convicted serial killer Cody Allan Legebokoff moved to Vancouver.
In a ruling made public this week, Parrett found after a hearing in December 2012 that there were enough safeguards in place to overcome any chance of bias Legebokoff could face in having the trial held in Prince George.
Legebokoff's defence counsel had argued he would not receive a fair trial in this city, partly because the media had "created a strong association" between his alleged crimes and the disappearances and murders of women along the Highway of Tears.
Along with "extensive local media coverage" since Legebokoff was arrested in November 2010 and subsequently charged with four counts of first degree murder, stories about the Highway of Tears and Legebokoff were aired on two U.S. television networks and in a major U.S. magazine, defence counsel also noted.
But Parrett poked several holes in the defence's argument.
For one, he noted that while an archive search uncovered 28 stories from the Prince George Citizen on Legebokoff, searches of The Province and Vancouver Sun archives yielded 21 while a further seven were found in The Globe and Mail and the National Post.
For another, Parrett noted that defence counsel failed to include a survey of online new websites hosted by Vancouver television and radio stations, providing results only from CKPG in Prince George.
And Parrett found defence counsel's presentation of results from a poll conducted to compare the extent of knowledge of the case between Vancouver and Prince George residents was faulty.
Parrett questioned why respondents who rated their knowledge of the case at three out of five were grouped with those who considered themselves very knowledgeable given that three is the midpoint of the range.
Although 27 per cent of Prince George respondents rated their knowledge of the case at three compared to just seven per cent of Vancouver residents, Parrett also noted that only eight per cent of Prince George respondents rated their knowledge at four or five, only slightly higher than the six per cent of Vancouver respondents.
As for the U.S.-based coverage, Parrett concluded it was a sign of wider public interest in the case.
"It is not a matter of contention that this case has raised a lot of interest but, with the greatest of respect, it is disingenuous at best to suggest that this interest is more focused in the regional area where the incidents occurred," Parrett said.
"Of course it is. Indeed, the recognition of that fact, and the human reality of it is the very reason for the recognition of the principle that criminal trials should be held in the venue in which the alleged crime took place.
"The reality is that this case has raised substantial interest, not just in the Prince George region, but throughout the province and, indeed, the country."
Parrett found that on a balance of probabilities, defence failed to show that the possibility of bias cannot be overcome by safeguards put in place at all stages of the jury selection process.
Hundreds of potential candidates were ordered to appear at the Prince George Courthouse for jury selection on May 31, a Saturday morning, filling the seats in multiple courtrooms and plastic folding chairs in the courthouse lobby.
The outdoor section of the Prince George Farmers' Market, which normally takes place outside the courthouse, was relocated to near the market's indoor location on Sixth Avenue as a result of the jury selection.
Several hundred potential jurors were divided into 12 groups to be screened for eligibility. The 14 jurors and two alternates were selected from the first two groups on May 31 and the trial began on June 2, the subsequent Monday.
On Sept. 11, the jury found Legebokoff, 24, guilty of four counts of first degree murder in the deaths of Jill Stacey Stuchenko, Cynthia Frances Maas, both 35, Natasha Lynn Montgomery, 23 and Loren Donn Leslie, 15.
He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without eligibility for parole for 25 years. Parrett also ordered that Legebokoff's name be added to the national sex offender registry.
