Convicted killer Justin Brandon Anderson seeks faint hope hearing to reduce 25-year parole ban
Justin Brandon Anderson seeks a faint hope hearing in Calgary to reduce his 25-year parole ineligibility; a judge will conduct a desk review before any jury date is set.
Justin Brandon Anderson has launched an application for a faint hope hearing in Calgary as he seeks a reduction to his 25‑year parole ineligibility. The request was advanced at the Court of King’s Bench, where Crown and defence counsel told Justice Michael Lema the matter should proceed to a preliminary “desk review” to see if a jury hearing is warranted. The faint hope hearing request — available to offenders sentenced before December 2011 — could, if successful, shorten the period Anderson must serve before being eligible to apply for parole.
Court schedules desk review to determine jury eligibility
Crown prosecutor Peter Mackenzie told the court he has received the materials necessary to allow a judge to perform a desk review under the screening process for faint hope applications. Defence lawyer Pawel Milzcarek joined the request to proceed with the review, which will determine whether Anderson has a plausible case to present to a jury. Justice Lema agreed to adjourn the matter to Dec. 18 to permit that step and to set a date for the judge’s decision.
If the judge finds there is a realistic chance a jury could be persuaded to reduce Anderson’s parole ineligibility, a full faint hope jury hearing would be scheduled. Otherwise, the application would be dismissed at the screening stage and Anderson would remain subject to his existing sentence timetable. The desk review is designed to limit full jury proceedings to those applicants with arguable grounds for relief.
Background of the 2005 killing and Anderson’s conviction
Anderson, now 47, pleaded guilty in April 2009 to first‑degree murder in the gun‑for‑hire slaying of Calgary drug dealer Jaspreet Singh Rahal. Rahal was shot as he emerged from a Gold’s Gym on Jan. 4, 2005, and Anderson was arrested on Jan. 6, 2006, following an investigation that included undercover interviews. He was sentenced to life with no parole eligibility for 25 years.
The Criminal Code provisions permitting faint hope hearings applied to offences committed before Dec. 2, 2011, and allow offenders with parole ineligibility over 15 years to seek a jury review after specified intervals. Anderson’s first 90‑day opportunity to pursue such relief came in 2021, but he did not apply at that time; he has now commenced his second window and the process is underway.
Judge rejects self‑defence claims in separate Calgary murder ruling
In a separate King’s Bench decision this week, Justice David Labrenz dismissed self‑defence claims by Paulos Berhe, who was convicted by a jury of second‑degree murder and discharging a firearm with intent to wound. The judge found Berhe’s testimony — that he was brutally attacked before firing — to be neither credible nor reliable, calling parts of it contrived and implausible.
Crown prosecutor Peter Mackenzie urged the court to find aggravating factors, noting Berhe used a restricted, loaded handgun and shot two people. A sentencing hearing for Berhe has been scheduled for Aug. 20 after the judge reconstructed the facts the jury must have accepted in reaching its verdict.
Sentencing date set for driver in deadly Boxing Day crash
The man responsible for a high‑speed December crash that killed nine‑year‑old Victoria Desjardins will be sentenced on Aug. 27, after Duane Nepoose pleaded guilty last year to multiple charges tied to the Boxing Day 2024 incident. The crash occurred when a stolen van ran red lights on Macleod Trail and Southland Drive, colliding with multiple vehicles and causing catastrophic injuries.
Crown prosecutors have urged a sentence in the mid to high single digits, while defence submissions argued for a lesser term; video evidence from the Calgary police HAWCS helicopter showed the van reaching speeds of about 170 km/h during the chase. Nepoose remains in custody pending the sentencing decision.
Bail application preparations in southeast Calgary fatal assault case
Defence counsel told court this week he will seek bail for one of three men charged with second‑degree murder in the March 25 death of Dor Thor Metkurjock following a domestic‑related assault. Jim Lutz confirmed he has received Crown disclosure and is arranging a King’s Bench bail review for Wedial Buom Met, who is currently held in the Edmonton Remand Centre.
Co‑accused Tethloach Wawu has appeared by counsel, while a third suspect, Nhial Makuey, remains the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant. Police have said the victim was located with life‑threatening injuries at a southeast Calgary residence and later died in hospital.
Manslaughter charge in carfentanil overdose remains before court
A Calgary man charged with manslaughter in the Nov. 28, 2025 overdose death of 16‑year‑old Jordynn Atkins‑Materi will remain in custody while his lawyer reviews disclosure and prepares a proposed bail plan. Defence counsel asked for an adjournment to July 22 to allow lead counsel to review the Crown’s evidence and to perfect a release proposal.
Police and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death was the toxic effects of carfentanil, and the charge follows an investigation by CPS’s Drug Investigations for Safer Communities team. The Crown will decide whether to consent to a bail plan or demand a contested hearing once disclosure is complete.
The faint hope hearing application by Justin Brandon Anderson joins a slate of recent and high‑profile matters moving through Calgary’s courts, underscoring the variety of procedural and substantive issues judges must resolve this summer. Investigative details, evidentiary disputes and sentencing positions will shape the calendar in the months ahead as victims’ families and the public await final outcomes.
