BC Judge Rejects Bid to Overturn Murder Conviction on Delay Grounds

In New Westminster, British Columbia, a Supreme Court judge has rejected a convicted killer's bid to overturn his first-degree murder conviction, ruling that lengthy trial delays did not violate his constitutional rights. Justice Jennifer Duncan dismissed the application from Brandon Teixeira on February 25, 2026, allowing his August 2025 jury conviction to stand in the 2017 shooting death of Nicholas Khabra.

Teixeira, 28 at the time of the crime, was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and discharging a firearm with intent to endanger life in the October 2017 killing in Surrey, British Columbia. Authorities have connected the incident to organized crime activities. Khabra, also 28, was fatally shot during the attack, which also involved attempts on other individuals.

The case, which stretched nearly eight years from the shooting to conviction, centered on Teixeira's argument that the delays infringed on his rights under Section 11(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This section guarantees a trial within a reasonable time, as established by the Supreme Court of Canada's 2016 Jordan decision, which sets presumptive limits of 18 months for...