Prince George, B.C.- The  BC Court of Appeal has dismissed the request for a new trial for Cody Alan Lebokoff.

Legebokoff had appealed his conviction on four counts of first degree murder, claiming  a miscarriage of justice  over  comments  the trial judge made after the trial was over, about  the way  the defence had  conducted itself during a pre-trial change of venue application.

Legebokoff’s lawyers  argued the criticisms amounted to a “miscarriage of justice”  claiming the  trial judge had a duty to  disclose  his views  and that the delay in doing so created an appearance of unfairness.  The appeal application did not  allege any errors   in the  manner in which the trial was conducted and conceded that the evidence  against Legebokoff was  overwhelming.

The BC Court of Appeal has  ruled the judge  was not under a “duty to immediately disclose his views which in this case were unfounded”  and that  ” a well-informed reasonable person’s confidence in the administration of justice would not be shaken by the delayed disclosure. “

Legebokoff was convicted of first degree murder in the deaths of Jill  Stuchenko,  Cynthia Maas, Natasha Montgomery and Loren Leslie.  He  is serving  a life sentence with no chance for parole for  at least 25 years.