A man who brutally murdered and sexually assaulted a young Fort Good Hope mother four years ago is a step closer to appealing his life sentence after a judge granted his request for a court-appointed lawyer earlier this week.
McNeely, now 22, was 17-years-old when he sexually assaulted and killed Charlotte Lafferty in March of 2014. Lafferty’s death left her three boys without a mother.
McNeely was convicted of first-degree murder, and in September of last year, he was sentenced as an adult to life in prison without the chance of parole for 10 years.
He is currently incarcerated in an Alberta prison.
Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, most young offenders under the age of 18 aren’t tried as an adult - unless the offence is serious.
Youth as young as 16 can be tried as an adult if they face grave charges such as murder or aggravated sexual assault.
McNeely initially filed his intention to appeal both his conviction and his sentence, but the convicted killer has since abandoned his conviction appeal. He remained self-represented throughout the process after being denied legal aid.
McNeely appeared in a Yellowknife court late last month to make his case as to why he should be appointed a lawyer, emphasizing he doesn’t have the financial means to hire a lawyer himself. The Crown noted his limited resources, but argued the sentence appeal lacked sufficient merit for counsel to be appointed.
Justice Shannon Smallwood reserved her decision to Monday in the Court of Appeal for the Northwest Territories, where McNeely appeared via video from prison.
The appeal, isn’t “very strong,” but not void of merit, said Smallwood as he handed down her decision.
In granting McNeely a court-appointed defence lawyer, Smallwood said the adult sentence he received had “significant ramifications,” which added merit to the grounds of his appeal - along with his inability to cover legal costs.
McNeely will appear in a Yellowknife court again on Jan. 28 to receive an update on whether a lawyer has been assigned and who the attorney will be.