Travis Vader life sentence appeal dismissed

Travis Vader life sentence appeal dismissed An Alberta Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal from Travis Vader who had been seeking to overturn the life sentence he received in connection with the deaths of Lyle and Marie McCann.

EDMONTON — An Alberta Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal from Travis Vader who had been seeking to overturn the life sentence he received in connection with the deaths of Lyle and Marie McCann.

The ruling from the three- judge panel was released Thursday morning.

Vader’s lawyer Nathan Whitling told the court that the initial sentencing judge, Justice Denny Thomas, was wrong in giving Vader to a life sentence. He argued the life sentence was based on the unproven notion that the McCanns were killed by a firearm.

"The sentencing judge’s conclusion that these offences fell within the highest category of moral culpability is amply supported by his findings of fact," the ruling reads.

"We discern no error in that conclusion and decline to interfere."

Whitling was looking for a sentence in the range of eight to 12 years. He declined immediate comment to CTV News saying he wanted to first go through the ruling and speak to Vader.

In upholding the sentence, the judges noted the lack of mitigating factors in the case as well as multiple aggravating factors including the violent nature of the McCanns deaths as well as Vader's efforts to destory evidence and his "significant" prior record.

"The sentence imposed is not clearly unreasonable and is not demonstrably unfit."