A man accused of murdering another inmate at Saskatchewan Penitentiary appeared in court Wednesday to request a new lawyer.
Tyler Vandewater is currently serving time for at Stony Mountain Institution, a federal prison in Manitoba. He is accused of killing Christopher Andrew Van Camp inside Saskatchewan Penitentiary on June 9.
He appeared by video Wednesday along with his lawyer, Terra Lennox-Zepp.
He was displeased with Lennox-Zepp. He contends that she is not experienced enough and is upset that he didn’t get to choose his own lawyer. He accused the court of violating his rights and requested time to seek a second opinion on his case.
The judge instructed Vandewater that he is able to choose a lawyer if he is able to pay for one. Otherwise, he will be assigned a lawyer by legal aid. Should his legal aid application be rejected, he will be able to seek a court-appointed lawyer. The judge emphasized that does not mean Vandewater is able to get a lawyer of his choosing.
Lennox-Zepp indicated legal aid would be open to Vandewater should he choose to reapply.
The case was adjourned for a month to allow him to seek legal representation.
Vandewater is currently serving a sentence of three years and six months for robbery, use of a restricted/prohibited firearm, operating a motor vehicle – flight and possession of a weapon contrary to a prohibition order. He is facing a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Van Camp. He is also facing two separate charges of aggravated assault from late last year.
