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Odelia Quewezance holds up a cloth that belonged to David Milgaard while speaking to media before a bail hearing outside Court of King's Bench in Yorkton on March 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael Bell

Judge grants bail to sisters who say they were wrongfully convicted of murder

Mar 27, 2023 | 11:15 AM

Two sisters who claim they were wrongfully convicted of murder 30 years ago have been granted bail and are being released from prison with conditions.

A Court of King’s Bench judge made the announcement Monday at the Yorkton courthouse, saying Odelia and Nerissa Quewezance aren’t a risk to the public and he doesn’t believe they’ll leave town.

The Quewezances were convicted of second-degree murder in the 1993 stabbing death of 70-year-old farmer Anthony Dolff near Kamsack, but have maintained their innocence.

Defence lawyers asked for the sisters to get a conditional release while their case is undergoing a federal conviction review.

The federal Ministry of Justice started the review last year, saying there may be a reasonable basis to conclude there was a miscarriage of justice.

The Crown prosecutor argued that even if there were issues with the police investigation, there was still enough evidence to show the sisters were involved in the killing.

James Lockyer, the sisters’ lawyer, has said the women are victims of racism in the justice system and false confessions.

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