Court throws out case of retired Quebec judge previously convicted in wife's death

Former Quebec Court of Appeal Judge Jacques Delisle will not be facing a second trial. The 86-year-old man, who was convicted in the 2009 death of his wife, is now free after Quebec Superior Court Judge Jean-François Émond granted a stay in the legal proceedings against him.

In his decision, Émond said he agreed with Delisle's argument that a second trial would not be fair because the Crown's experts made serious mistakes in the original pathology report that led to his conviction.

Delisle attended the ruling at the Quebec City courthouse with some of his family members. The group cheered and embraced upon hearing the ruling.

In 2012, Delisle was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2009 death of his wife, Marie Nicole Rainville and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

But the ex-judge always maintained his innocence, claiming that this wife of 49 years died by suicide.

In April 2021, federal Justice Minister David Lametti ordered a retrial after new information about the case came to light. Lametti concluded that "a miscarriage of justice likely occurred" in the case. 

Delisle was released on bail shortly after. He had spent nine years in prison. 

At a hearing in November, Delisle's lawyers argued that mistakes in some of the evidence led to their client's conviction. They said those errors made by the crown experts would make it difficult to ensure the fairness of a new trial. They also argued there have been unreasonable delays in the case.

Crown prosecutors argued that a new trial was necessary because of the seriousness of the charges.

This is not the first time Delisle has fought to have his conviction overturned. He appealed to the Supreme Court, which refused to hear his case in December 2013.