The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
James Desmarais is on his fourth lawyer as the accused Flin Flon murderer prepares for a pre-trial conference later this summer. Desmarais, now represented by Winnipeg lawyer Jodi Ostapiw, is scheduled to attend a resolution conference at the Court of Queen's Bench in The Pas on Aug. 6. 'A resolution conference is an attempt to streamline the issues for trial and to determine if there is any possibility of resolution,' explained Crown prosecutor Todd Rambow. Rambow said Desmarais, 46, will enter his actual plea when he is arraigned in the Court of Queen's Bench at an undetermined date. See 'Plead...' on pg. Continued from pg. Desmarais has said he will plead not guilty to the second-degree murder charge against him. He also denies confessing to the RCMP, as the police have asserted. He made his latest court appearance earlier this month in The Pas, where he has been held in custody since his Oct. 31, 2011 arrest in the death of fellow Flin Flonner Raylene Dawn Grant, 21. Rambow said Desmarais' first two attorneys sought and received permission to bow out of the case, though Rambow could not speculate as to why. Desmarais has said he dismissed his third lawyer because he did not feel that he was doing his job properly.
