Trent Butt has appealed his first degree murder conviction in connection to the death of his five-year-old daughter Quinn.
Trent Butt filed his handwritten appeal yesterday, in the same neat handwriting as his Final Words letter, a written confession he left in his truck after he killed his little girl Quinn.
Here are the Grounds of Appeal, handwritten by Trent Butt. @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/dsUWhmvx9p
— Renell LeGrow (@renell_legrow) May 22, 2019
Butt admitted to killing his daughter during trial, but said he doesn’t remember it, and that it wasn’t pre-mediated. He pleaded guilty to lighting his house on fire. A jury found him guilty of murder in the first degree.
Butt is appealing his murder conviction and life sentence on the basis that the verdict is unreasonable and cannot be supported by the evidence.
In his Grounds of Appeal, he raises concerns with the jury selection process. He says the trial judge erred in his final instructions to the jury, and accuses the judge of showing bias towards the Crown’s case throughout.
“There were errors made (during) the jury selection process and the challenge for cause process. The Court did not call a sufficient number of names to provide a full jury,” Butt writes in the appeal. @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/XeSOvMyd4N
— Renell LeGrow (@renell_legrow) May 22, 2019
“The judge’s final instruction to the jury contained errors with respect to the summary of evidence, misdirection of evidence, and suggested findings of fact. The judge’s final instructions showed bias toward the Crown’s (case) throughout,” Butt writes. @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/Qiia7SOY88
— Renell LeGrow (@renell_legrow) May 22, 2019
Butt also accuses his defence counsel of being incompetent. Because of that, and a non-disclosure of evidence by the prosecution, Butt says “a miscarriage of justice resulted.”
A hearing will be scheduled and a panel of three judges will hear the appeal.
Mother Responds
“He’s delaying the inevitable.”
That’s the belief of Quinn’s mother, Andrea Gosse who says she and her family were notified yesterday that Butt was launching an appeal.
Gosse says she can’t see the matter going back to trial. Despite that she says they’re ready, no matter what happens.
