The last of the convicted murderers in the Ryan Lane trial filed an appeal to overturn his murder conviction.
Wilhelm Rempel, 42, brother Timothy Rempel, 31, and his wife Sheena Cuthill, 30, were all convicted in April – for the killing of former Cochranite Lane – and all were sentenced to 25 years in prison with no chance of parole.
Wilhelm filed the application earlier in May calling the judge’s decision “unreasonable” and stating “the instruction to the jury to disregard the testimony by co-accused Timothy Rempel stating Wilhelm Rempel admitted to killing Ryan Lane was inadequate to negate prejudice to Wilhelm Rempel’s right to a fair trial.”
During Timothy’s testimony during his own defence, he admitted to the judge and jury that “(Wilhelm) told me he burnt Ryan’s body.”
Both the Crown and Wilhelm’s defence lawyer objected to the accuser’s statements and it was later ruled as “hearsay” and the jury was asked to “ignore” the comments.
Cuthill and Lane were in a custody battle when Lane went missing on Feb. 6, 2012. Timothy admitted that the brothers had met with Lane the night of his disappearance but said he had left Lane alive with his brother Wilhelm in a rural area outside of Calgary.
Lane was never seen again.
Four months later, the RCMP and Calgary Police Services found a burn barrel outside of Beiseker containing human remains, along with the pieces of a cell phone and Lane’s class ring. Cuthill and the Rempel brothers were arrested November 2012, following a six-week trial earlier this year that resulted in all of their convictions.
Timothy and Wilhelm Rempel were also found guilty of kidnapping, in connection with Lane’s death.
Cuthill and Timothy Rempel have already filed their appeals.
