The lawyer for a man accused of a killing in Logan Lake says the first-degree murder charge will now be legally nullified, as the suspect has passed away.

Brad Smith says his client Gordon Fleming passed away on Friday after a battle with cancer, at the age of 67.

Smith says Fleming’s passing is an unsatisfactory result for everyone involved in the legal case, as his murder trial was supposed to start later this year.

“The fact that Mr. Fleming has now passed away means that the trial is not going to happen, which is most unfortunate because he was very keen to have his day in court. There has obviously only been one narrative put out there so far. He was looking forward to the opportunity to vindicate his position in the court of law, which is where it really counts. So unfortunately that is not going to happen,” Smith says.

“Mr. Fleming died enjoying the constitutional status as an innocent man. And the reality is he had been subject to the most serious of criminal charges in Canadian criminal law. And he hasn’t had the opportunity to vindicate himself.”

Fleming had been charged with the first homicide ever in Logan Lake, which happened in a motel room in March of 2018.