A Montreal judge has ordered the extradition of a murder suspect but not before blasting Saguenay police for bungling his arrest and alleged confession.
Montreal Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer ordered murder suspect Kyle Sheppard back to the U.S.A. to face charges of killing his wife Katie Sheppard on November 2, 2012.
Sheppard's lawyer, Toronto-based Daniel Brodsky, plans to appeal the extradition, a process that will likely see Sheppard remain in Canadian prison for at least another year.
Sheppard, 31, who is a Canadian citizen, drove to Saguenay following the death of his wife on November 2, 2012.
Katie Sheppard, 29, had been found dead on the porch of their Toledo home with a belt around her neck.
Sheppard allegedly called police and confessed to the killing. Police arrested Sheppard on November 4 at 5 a.m. but failed to take notes or inform Sheppard that he had the right to a lawyer.
In his extradition order, Cournoyer blasted the two Saguenay police officers' failure to inform the accused of his right to legal counsel, which he said showed a “blatant disregard for (Sheppard’s) rights.”
"The police officers failed to keep appropriate notes, their oral testimony was unreliable and there was no reliable evidence establishing the supposed urgency," he wrote.
Sheppard faces 30 years in prison or could even end up joining the 150-or-so Ohio death row inmates waiting for a lethal injection if charged and found guilty.
