‘It was an error:’ Edmonton judge changes Travis Vader verdict to manslaughter
EDMONTON — A judge has changed his flawed murder verdict to manslaughter in the high-profile case of Travis Vader — a satisfying fix for the family of two missing seniors he was convicted of killing, but one the defence says is bound for a higher court.
Queen’s Bench Justice Denny Thomas convicted Vader in September of second-degree murder in the deaths of Lyle and Marie McCann.
The couple, in their late 70s, disappeared after setting out from their Edmonton-area home to go camping in British Columbia in July 2010. Their burned-out motorhome and a vehicle they had been towing were discovered in the days that followed. Their bodies have never been found.
In finding Vader guilty of murder, Thomas mistakenly used Section 230 of the Criminal Code, which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional in 1990. The government didn’t remove the section from the book as antiquated laws are rarely repealed.