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On October 29th, 2008 Michael White's appeal to overturn his conviction and get a new trial was heard.

It took Crown prosecutor James Robb and defence lawyer Hersh Wolch only 90 minutes to outline their arguments. It then took the three-judge Court of Appeal of Alberta five months to issue their decision.

On March 27th, 2009 it was announced that White's appeal had been rejected.

The panel's decision was unanimous, effectively closing the door on a possible appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. The ruling can be read here (opens as a .pdf).

Sitting in the Edmonton Institution, Michael White immediately got a call from his lawyer telling him the bad news. The next day, White called Byron Christopher and granted the Edmonton crime reporter an exclusive interview.

Another Brick Wall
by Byron Christopher

Michael White said he was "very, very disappointed" by the Alberta Court of Appeal not to give him a new trial. However, he said he wasn't surprised that he was turned down.

"The justice system failed me before, and I'm not surprised it failed me again" he said in a phone call from D-Unit at the maximum-security Edmonton Institution the day after the news was released.

"I don't have a lot of use for the justice system," he added.

White said he's not sure whether to take his case to the Supreme Court. He said that will all depend on what his lawyer, Hersch Wolch of Calgary, will say of his chances. White said if Wolch is doubtful the case can't be won, he won't go ahead with it.

Wolch was believed to be in the U.S. and was expected to return to Canada by the end of the month.

White said his hopes were up after an inmate (Jared Baker, convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Olivia Talbot) mistakenly heard on the radio at 9:00 a.m. March 27th that White had been "awarded a new trial."

"Holy crap, really?" White said of his reaction to the false news.

His hope was short-lived. Guards told him there was a message for him to immediately call his lawyer, Hersch Wolch, on his cell.

White said the message from Wolch was, "I have some bad news ... the appeal was not successful."

White said he was hoping for the best "but prepared for the worst."

He called the Court of Appeal decision "another brick wall."

"It's hard to accept," he said, "but I have to ... I've accepted it and I'm moving on."

White has always maintained he didn't kill his wife. In late 2006, a jury thought otherwise, finding the former heavy-duty mechanic guilty of second-degree murder of his pregnant wife, Liana, 29 in the summer of 2005.

With the Court of Appeal turning him down for a new trial White says he has truly lost any chance of seeing his daughter again.

He said his next thing is to work on getting parole, getting out and getting on with his life.

White added he has applied to be transferred to another prison in Ontario so he can be closer to his family.

White was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 17 years in connection with his wife's murder. His first chance at re-gaining freedom will take place in 2022 when he will be 45 years old.

The final decision on his release will be up to the National Parole Board of Canada.

On April 2nd, 2009 it was learned that when defence lawyer Hersch Wolch later spoke with Michael White he advised him that there was no further ground for appeal and if the convicted man wanted to take his case to the Supreme Court he would be wasting his money.

On Juy 27th, 2009 The Last Link on the Left published Michael White - The Untold Story, written from the viewpoint of Edmonton crime reporter Byron Christopher.

Christopher had near-exclusive access to White, from the time he was first arrested through to when he transferred to a medium security jail in Ontario.

Not only is the story an inside look at the criminal process, Christopher offers his views on how fellow reporters handled the case.

<< july 12th, 2007 | the michael white trial | the untold story >>

remembering liana white | the real michael white | the Vegreville Observer article

deadmonton - the case of michael white - march 27th, 2009