Appeal denied for Princeton murderer
PENTICTON – An appeal on two convictions for murder and another of attempted murder against a Princeton man have been denied by the B.C. Court of Appeal.
John Ike Koopmans was convicted in April 2015 for the murders of Robert Wharton and Rosemary Fox and the attempted murder of Bradley Martin.
Koopmans tried arguing the trial judge erred when instructing the jury on several factors, including credibility of key witness Bradley Martin. He also argued the judge failed to provide the jury with a lesser charge to attempted murder in addition to confusing the jury through revisions and clarifications of the attempted murder charge.
The appeals court judges said most of the issues were dealt with fairly by the trial judge in pre-trial hearings and at trial itself.
Koopmans was sentenced to three counts of life imprisonment on Oct. 6, 2015 after being convicted of two counts of second degree murder and one count of attempted murder. He will be eligible for parole in 20 years.
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