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Appearing via video link from remand Friday, Moss said he has retained Calgary lawyer Andrea Urquhart, replacing defence counsel Rod Gregory, who represented him during his trial for the death of Bella Rose Desrosiers.
Moss was convicted of second-degree murder for repeatedly slashing Desrosiers’ throat as her mother tucked her into bed May 18, 2020. Court of King’s Bench Steven Mandziuk rejected Moss’s not criminally responsible defence, finding that while Moss was clearly psychotic, the psychosis was more than likely caused by Moss’s cannabis use and sudden withdrawal, rather than a 2004 brain injury, as Moss claimed.
Gregory said he learned in August that Moss had cancelled his Legal Aid certificates, which compensate lawyers for representing low-income clients. He requested to be taken off the record, which Mandziuk granted.
Before doing so, Mandziuk cautioned Moss about the risks of changing lawyers ahead of what is expected to be a complex sentencing.
Sentencing is a “deep look at who you are, how you arrived in this situation … your moral guilt and the interests of the broader community as well,” Mandziuk said. “It’s quite a complex exercise.”
Moss confirmed he understood.
Moss also requested a Gladue report, a document that assesses how government policy toward Indigenous people may have contributed to a person’s offending.
Those convicted of second-degree murder face an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 10 years.
