A B.C. man convicted by a jury of second-degree murder will apply to have the charge stayed alleging delays by Crown in moving the case along.
Adrianus Johannes Rosbergen was convicted in B.C. Supreme Court Dec. 10 of the second-degree murder of Allen William Skedden, 52, of Delta.
While the case was moving forward to sentencing, Rosbergen’s lawyer, Paul McMurray, appeared before Justice Martha Devlin Dec. 18 to say the application would be forthcoming.
As McMurray spoke, the elderly Rosbergen appeared by video from detention. He was having difficulty hearing the proceedings and leaned on a cane.
“If I was guilty, I would tell you,” Rosbergen said.
McMurray said the application for a stay of proceedings was to be filed due to “unreasonable pretrial action” by the prosecution. He said a hearing could take two to three days.
B.C.’s Integrated Homicide Investigative Team (IHIT) said a body was found on March 2, 2017, when Richmond RCMP responded to the 22000-block of Fraserwood Way.
The man’s death was deemed suspicious, and IHIT took conduct of the investigation.
Skedden was last seen on Feb. 21, 2017, and was reported as missing to the Delta Police Department that same day, at which time, an investigation was initiated.
On Feb. 26, 2022, the BC Prosecution Service charged Rosbergen with second-degree murder in relation to the homicide.
The case returns to court on Jan. 8.
