SCOC refuses to hear Guy Turcotte, who is facing a second trial in kids’ deaths

OTTAWA – The Supreme Court of Canada says it won’t hear an appeal by a former Quebec cardiologist who is facing a new double-murder trial in the slayings of his young children.

The high court announced its decision this morning, paving the way for a new trial.

Guy Turcotte was originally found not criminally responsible in the stabbing deaths of his two young children in 2009 and had been confined to a mental institution before being freed.

Last November, the Quebec Court of Appeal overturned that 2011 jury verdict and ordered a second trial on two counts of first-degree murder.

As is standard practice in the case of applications for leave to appeal, the Supreme Court did not give reasons for its decision.

Turcotte’s criminal case returns before a judge in April. He is currently detained.

Because of legal delays, the earliest a new trial could take place is sometime in 2015.

The judge hearing the case put off setting a new trial date until the Supreme Court made its decision.