By Canadian Press

Supreme Court orders new trial for Halifax man convicted in pizza delivery death

Nov 3, 2020 | 12:53 PM

HALIFAX — The Supreme Court of Canada ordered a new trial today for a Halifax man who was convicted in 2018 of second-degree murder in the death of a pizza deliveryman.

Randy Riley was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years last year for the death of 27-year-old Chad Smith, who was killed on the evening of Oct. 23, 2010.

Smith was found with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the upper right side of his body and his red pizza delivery bag nearby. 

During the Nova Scotia Supreme Court trial, the Crown called a witness who confessed to committing the murder and said Riley wasn’t involved, but the judge cautioned the jury against considering the evidence.

Riley appealed his case to the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, on the basis that this warning damaged the defence case, but a majority of the Appeal Court judges upheld the conviction.

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The Supreme Court of Canada was unanimous in granting the appeal and ordering a new trial.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2020. 

The Canadian Press