Will man charged with wife’s murder be let out of prison because of unreasonable trial delays?

KAMLOOPS – A man charged with murder in connection to his wife's drowning death near Upper Arrow Lake nearly seven years ago will find out this month if the charges against him will be dropped.

Lawyers spent a week arguing over whether or not the delays in getting Peter Beckett's murder trial concluded within a reasonable time frame were not the fault of the defence.

Kelowna Supreme Court judge Alison Beames is expected to give her decision on the application on June 29.

Beckett was charged with Laura Letts-Beckett's murder nearly one year after her August 2010 drowning death near Revelstoke. He stood trial on his charges in Kamloops last year but the jury was unable to reach a verdict.

A Supreme Court of Canada decision from 2016 outlined an appropriate time frame for an accused to be charged and tried, which is 30 months.

Beckett has been in custody for the past six years while he awaits his trial. His second trial is slated to take place in Kelowna on Aug. 21, should the application be dismissed.

For more coverage on the case, go here.

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