Faint hope hearing for Kitchener man convicted of wife's planned murder
A jury has been chosen for Ronald Cyr's faint hope hearing in Hamilton. Cyr was convicted of arranging the 2009 execution-style killing of his wife, Nadia Gehl.
Hamilton jury convened for Kitchener killer's parole eligibility review
A jury of 12, plus two alternates, was seated Monday at the John Sopinka courthouse in Hamilton for Ronald Cyr's faint hope hearing, ctvnews.ca reports. Cyr is seeking a reduction in his parole ineligibility period after serving more than 15 years of a life sentence for the first-degree murder of his wife, Nadia Gehl.
Gehl was shot dead in February 2009 while walking to a bus stop near Ottawa Street and Fischer Hallman Road in Kitchener. A judge described the killing as "execution-style." Cyr was found guilty of first-degree murder in April 2012.
The Crown told the court that Cyr had arranged for his friend, Zdenek "Dennis" Zvolensky, to carry out the killing. Zvolensky then recruited Nashat Qahwash to assist. All three men received automatic life sentences with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
Cyr's application rests on the faint hope clause, a provision that allows offenders who have served at least 15 years to have their parole eligibility reviewed by a jury. The clause was abolished by the Canadian government in 2011, but Cyr remains eligible because his offence predates that change.
A judge ruled last year that a jury should be convened to hear Cyr's request. Among the reasons cited: Cyr had shown remorse and people close to him said he had made a sustained effort to change during his imprisonment. Cyr also told the court he converted to Judaism in 2011 and regularly attends Shabbat.
Jurors will be asked to weigh Cyr's character, his conduct while incarcerated, the nature of the offence, and victim impact information from Gehl's family.
The hearing was scheduled to resume on Tuesday.
Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)