VANCOUVER - B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal says he has always believed Robert Pickton planned to kill his victims and that's one of the reasons why the Crown is appealing the serial killer's second-degree murder convictions.
The 30-day appeal deadline is two days away and Oppal says the Crown expects the defence will also file a notice of appeal of the former pig farmer's conviction.
The attorney general says the appeal is also for technical reasons because if the defence appeals and a re-trial is allowed, that trial would be based on second-degree murder - not the original first-degree murder charges.
Oppal couldn't say how this would impact the scheduled second trial on 20 other murder charges against Pickton.
However he says it would be prudent to see what course the appeal takes before that trial proceeds.
Pickton was convicted Dec. 9 on six counts of second-degree murder in connection with the disappearances of women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.
