New trial granted for man accused of 2004 murder

The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal has granted a new trial for one of four men accused of shooting a Saskatoon man to death in 2004.

On Wednesday the court granted a new trial for Neil Yakimchuk, who is currently serving a life sentence after a jury found him guilty in June 2014 of first-degree murder in the death of alleged drug dealer Isho Hana.

In its decision the Court of Appeal said there was a mistake in Yakimchuk’s trial, adding the judge overseeing the trial should have given the 12-person jury the option of a manslaughter conviction, and the only way to deal with the judge’s mistake was to have a whole new trial.

Yakimchuk was also convicted and given a life sentence in April 2014 for  killing a man in Alberta in December 2008.