An Alberta man found guilty in the murders of two men at an isolated ranch south of Prince George has lost an appeal of his conviction.
In May 2012, Michael James Bartley was found guilty of the March 2010 first-degree murders of Owen Thompson, 48, and Darren Hala, 45. He was also convicted of the attempted murder of Sheryle Steeves, 48, the common-law wife of Thompson.
Court heard that Bartley was a friend of Thompson and a purchaser of marijuana sold by Thompson and his wife to supplement their income due to a declining cattle market.
Bartley drove to the ranch to purchase some marijuana and before leaving, he slit Thompson's throat with a knife, killing him immediately. He used the knife to slice the neck of Hala, a helper at the ranch who ran away and whose body was later discovered a kilometre away.
Bartley also slit Steeves's throat and stabbed her before leaving the scene. She survived her injuries.
The accused gave statements to police confessing to the slayings and saying he'd been forced to commit the crimes to protect his family and to repay a cocaine debt to a biker named "Earl."
At trial, he backed away from the confession and claimed that he'd been acting in self-defence.
He raised several grounds for appeal, alleging that the trial judge, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bruce, erred by rejecting his testimony and accepting the evidence of Steeves. He also argued that Bruce erred in finding that the murders were planned and deliberate, elements required to prove the offence of first-degree murder.
But in a ruling released Tuesday, a three-member panel of the B.C. Court of Appeal rejected his arguments and upheld the convictions.
"The trial judge's meticulous and well-articulated reasons for judgment set out a reasonable basis for rejecting the appellant's testimony, accepting that of Ms. Steeves, and concluding he did not act in self-defence," said Justice Kathryn Neilson in her reasons for judgment.
Justices David Harris and Peter Willcock agreed with Neilson.
For the murder convictions, Bartley received the mandatory sentence of life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years.
