At a news conference last month announcing police had determined the woman previously only known as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe was 30-year-old Ashlee Christine Shingoose, Deputy Chief Cam Mackid told reporters police drew that conclusion in part because of information gleaned from a second interview they did in December with the serial killer convicted in her murder — more than 2½ years after he first spoke to police.

“Unfortunately the way our legal system works, once we interview someone once, we don’t get to ask them any further questions until they go to court, unless there’s new charges,” (Deputy Chief Cam) Mackid said (on) March 26, adding there were “legal concerns” and police didn’t want to “do anything that might jeopardize” his convictions.

Legal expert David Milward said while he found the police explanation for why it took them so long to talk to Skibicki again “baffling,” it’s easy to second-guess decisions made in something as complicated as a homicide investigation.

“But at the same time, I’m not sure if, you know, ‘Oh, we didn’t want to jeopardize, there was some sort of legal constraint, we could have jeopardized [the case]’ — I’m not convinced that that was necessary as a justification.”

    • Value Subtracted@startrek.websiteEnglish
      4·
      2 days ago

      In this case, I think there might be a case to be made.

      “The prosecutor would be, I think, concerned … if the investigation was still going on behind the scenes, without them being looped in, while they’re trying to prosecute a case,” said Michael Arntfield, a criminologist and professor at Western University who worked for 16 years as a detective with the London Police Service in Ontario.

      “If they say they can’t interview him, that to me sounds like they’ve taken direction either from the Crown or from superior officers to not potentially interfere with the prosecution.”

    • ikidd@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      2 days ago

      And if their interview prejudiced the case, you’d be saying the same thing.