The B.C. man accused in the 2022 death of a Burnaby RCMP officer is looking for a new lawyer to handle the murder case as well as assault and resisting arrest charges.
Vancouver Provincial Court Judge James Sutherland heard July 18 that “global resolution” discussions had been underway to finish Jongwon Ham’s assault and resisting case.
That, however, is now in limbo. Ham told Judge John Milne Oct. 25 he no longer has a lawyer.
“Previous counsel got off the record,” Crown prosecutor Justine Jarvis told Milne.
Milne asked Ham if he wanted a lawyer.
“I do not but I’ve been calling lawyers,” Ham said.
When Milne asked if he has a lawyer in mind, Ham said, “I’m not supposed to tell that to the court right now.”
“You had numerous lawyers that have not worked out for you,” Milne said. “I don’t know the reason for that.”
Ham said he had until Nov. 18 to get a lawyer for the B.C. Supreme Court murder case and asked Milne to adjourn his case until that time.
The judge set the next appearance for Nov. 19, when the accused is scheduled to submit a plea on the charges.
“If you don’t have a lawyer, we’re going to set this matter for trial,” Milne said.
“One matter is 1,300 days old,” Milne said. “These things have got to move along.”
That one matter, Milne referred to is the assault and resisting case. The murder allegations are not as old.
Accused faces multiple charges
Ham remains in custody after having been charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 18, 2022, fatal stabbing of Const. Shaelyn Yang while on call at Broadview Park near the Burnaby-Vancouver border.
The 31-year-old Mountie had accompanied a City of Burnaby parks employee to the park to tell a man who had been staying in a tent to leave.
An altercation ensued, and Yang was fatally stabbed. Her alleged assailant was shot but survived his injuries.
Prior to those alleged events, there are three further allegations against Ham.
It’s alleged that, on Feb. 15, 2021, he assaulted a man in Vancouver and then resisted arrest. He is alleged to have committed a further assault against a man in Vancouver on March 17, 2022.
The BC Prosecution Service had earlier confirmed Ham will have B.C. Supreme Court pre-trial applications Oct. 7 to 25.
Now, the service said, Ham's next court appearance is for a pre-trial conference on Nov. 18.
"All other court appearances have been canceller," Service spokesperosn Ann Seymour told Glacier Media. "The purpose of the Nov. 18 court appearance is for the accused to advise the court if he has a new lawyer."
The judge-alone murder trial had been scheduled to take place Nov. 12 to Dec. 20.
