Supporters of Jeffery Kraft's family gathered outside the Red Deer court house on Tuesday, calling for an appropriate sentence for the man charged in Kraft's death. (rdnewsNOW / Sheldon Spackman)

By Sheldon Spackman

More Time Requested

Man charged in fatal shooting seeking new lawyer

Apr 7, 2021 | 12:27 PM

A man charged in a fatal shooting near Lacombe has been granted more time to find a new lawyer.

Tyler John Campbell, 28, of Lacombe has been given until April 19 to have new counsel in place after Michael Scrase asked Tuesday in Red Deer provincial court that he be removed from the case, a request that was granted by Judge Jim Hunter.

Campbell pled guilty to manslaughter last November in the shooting death of 20-year-old Jeffery Kraft on Dec. 15, 2019.

However, after a joint Crown and defence submission of a seven-year prison sentence for Campbell was twice rejected by Hunter, proceedings have come to a point where Campbell is considering vacating his plea.

Campbell told court by CCTV on Tuesday that he applied for legal aid two weeks ago, but has yet to hear back with confirmation of a new lawyer.

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Hunter advised, “You need to get another lawyer and you need to do that quickly.”

Once a new lawyer is in place for Campbell, it’s anticipated he will ask Hunter for an application to vacate his guilty plea.

Should that happen, a date would be set for Hunter to approve or deny the application. If approved, a date would be set for a preliminary hearing. If Hunter were to deny the application, a date for sentencing could be set.

Campbell’s co-accused in the incident, 22 year-old Amie Rogers, of Lacombe, had her counts withdrawn last November following a preliminary hearing to determine if her case had enough evidence to go to trial.