2008 Aylmer killing

Gakmakge’s judicial saga to resume this spring

Bulletin staff

Imprisoned Aylmer resident Khalid Gakmakge will be returning to court on April 16. Gakmakge was found guilty by jury in 2011 of killing his estranged wife Lucia Medeiros in 2008 in his Aylmer home, but the decision was invalidated.

In February 2015, the Quebec Court of Appeal (CA) declared a mistrial because the defendant was, in short, denied a full and complete defence, “which is his most fundamental Constitutional right,” said the ruling.

Two years after this important decision, Gatineau lawyer Christian Deslauriers filled an unreasonable delay motion in mid-February arguing Gakmakge had waited too long for a new trial and should be freed. The Crown argued otherwise and refused to free the accused even following the Supreme’s Court polarizing Jordan’s decision which saw new trial delays announced.

Following this ruling, the new ceiling or reasonable delay was set at 18 months for “cases going to trial in the provincial court, and at 30 months for cases going to trial in the superior court (or cases going to trial in the provincial court after a preliminary inquiry).”

For the Medeiros family, the beginning of a new judicial chapter simply adds to an already emotional roller-coaster. “Unfortunately for the family members, they will need to relive another difficult trial,” noted a family friend.

Now in his mid 40s, Gakmakge has been in custody for over 100 months since the December 2008 tragedy on Framboisiers Street. The final chapter of this judicial saga could be written this spring.