Robert Steven Wright has failed in his fourth bail attempt, Sudbury.com has learned.
The Ontario Court of Appeal released a document on March 15 with very little detail, stating the reasons for the decision are covered under a publication ban, but the document did not contain the decision.
Wright’s lawyer, Michael Lacy, confirmed through email that Wright was not granted bail and that “detention was confirmed.”
This was Wright’s fourth attempt at bail.
Superior Court Justice Patrick Boucher dismissed Wright’s application in January, stating any material change in circumstances, as filed by Wright and his counsel, wasn’t sufficient.
This led to Wright’s appeal, which was denied by the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Wright was scheduled to start his second-degree murder trial in May of last year, but it was delayed due to concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was then scheduled to start in October, but it was postponed when Wright hired a new lawyer, Michael Lacy, who needed time to catch up on the case.
His former counsel, Berk Keaney, declared a conflict of interest in the case, leading to the search for new counsel.
Wright then contracted COVID-19 during the outbreak at the Sudbury Jail. He was hospitalized as a result.
A new tentative trial date has been scheduled for September 2022. Pretrial dates have also been set for the week of March 21 and April 25.
Wright was 18 at the time of the murder and was a student at Lockerby Composite School.
He was arrested while working at North Bay Regional Health Centre.
