Conflict of interest question unresolved in double homicide case

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It will be another few months before a court decides if the law firm representing a Moncton man on murder charges is in a conflict of interest on the file.

Janson Bryan Baker, 27, of Moncton, is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Bernard Saulnier, 78, and his wife, Rose-Marie Saulnier, 74, in their Amirault Street home on Sept. 7, 2019. Charges were laid Sept. 7 last year – the four-year anniversary of the killings. Several court appearances have happened with adjournments so the accused could retain counsel.

On Nov. 24, Baker told the court legal aid has retained defence lawyer Nathan Gorham to defend him, but in early December prosecutor James McConnell began raising the possibility Gorham and his firm could be in a conflict of interest representing Baker.

On Feb. 2, lawyer Adrian Forsythe said Gorham’s firm is now in a position where it can go on the record and defend him in this case. The Crown didn’t agree with that but Forsythe maintained the firm believes it can defend Baker in this case nonetheless.

A hearing was set for Friday on the matter, with provincial court Judge Ronald LeBlanc presiding. Defence lawyer Alex Pate was present for Gorham and Baker was in the prisoner’s dock.

Nothing that happened during the hearing can be reported due to a publication ban, as some of the evidence from that hearing will also be evidence in the yet-to-be scheduled preliminary inquiry.

While discussions took place between the judge and lawyers on Friday, the hearing did not go ahead. Instead, LeBlanc scheduled a full-day hearing for June 28.

Specifics of the alleged conflict of interest have not been provided in court, though Gorham previously represented Jesse Todd Logue, who was arrested with many other people in August 2019 as part of police drug investigation.

Logue is serving a prison term for drug trafficking and the Saulniers’ son, Sylvio Saulnier, was arrested as part of the same investigation and was supposed to stand trial but he died beforehand. The RCMP have said the murder investigation determined there was a connection between Baker and the people targeted in that drug investigation.