A Mooretown man convicted of murder in the death of his wife in 2008 has been freed on bail pending appeal.
After a trial that ended with a hung jury in May 2012, Craig Short, then 53, was found guilty at a second trial in February 2013.
He was sentenced by Justice Joseph Donohue to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 25 years.
Short's defense counsel for the two trials, Phillip Millar of London, feels there's a good case to be made at the Ontario Court of Appeal.
"Well I knew there were very strong grounds of appeal and his Toronto counsel has successfully got him released pending appeal and they've found some new third party suspect evidence that the court found was relevant," says Millar. "So after two or three years in jail Craig Short is now out, and I think his appeal is going to be heard this summer. I think there's a good chance he's going to be able to overturn his conviction."
If that were to occur, a third trial would be needed.
Short maintains he's innocent, denying he struck his 48-year-old wife Barbara from behind with a section of fence post, at the rear of the family home on St. Clair Parkway in October 2008.
The Crown's circumstantial case claimed Short killed his wife because she was seeking a division of assets in divorce proceedings and was having an affair.
-With files from Josh Boyce