Sudbury woman's lawyer on murder charge being dropped
Following the stunning development involving a charge against a Sudbury woman accused of her estranged husband's murder, CTV News spoke to the defendant's lawyer at the courthouse Wednesday morning.
Michael Lacy told CTV News on Tuesday the Crown dropped the first-degree murder charge against his client, Melissa Sheridan, because there was no reasonable prospect of getting a conviction after the primary witness was determined to be unreliable.
Sheridan's estranged husband, 56-year-old Brant Burke, was found shot to death Oct. 25, 2020, on a trail in Point Grondine Reserve, part of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory near Killarney.
She and Burke's older brother, Kerry, were both charged with first-degree murder in the case in November 2020.
Kerry Burke, who has been in jail since being charged, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in May and is currently awaiting sentencing.
He was a key witness in the Crown's case against Sheridan.
"We were here for the preliminary inquiry for Melissa Sheridan's case and the Crown called really the only witness who ever implicated her in any kind of wrongdoing, Kerry Burke -- the person who actually murdered his brother and he was testifying," Lacy said.
"We started our cross-examination and it became abundantly clear that he was not a truthful witness. He was a liar, something we have been saying for the past 18 months."
It has been extremely difficult on his client since she was charged, he added.
"Some people might think you should be elated when your first-degree murder charge gets withdrawn, but when your position is 'I never should have been charged in the first place and I have been put through 18 months of misery, 18 months of speculation, 18 months of the public believing that I am guilty of something, it's not exactly a happy day,'" Lacy said.
"I mean, she is glad the matter is over and now she can put this behind her, continue to be the mother to her children, help them grieve their father in the way she wants to do that."
Lacy said the Crown withdrew the charge because there is no evidence to support it and it would be highly abusive if the Crown wanted to reinitiate this prosecution.
CTV Northern Ontario requested an interview with the Crown Attorney's office but our request was declined.
The Ministry of the Attorney General did provide a statement that read in part:
"If the Crown determines at any time that there is no longer a reasonable prospect of conviction, or that it is not in the public interest to proceed, the Crown is duty bound to withdraw the charges."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.