Michael Rafferty, who was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of eight-year-old Victoria “Tori” Stafford, had his Monday court date postponed until Sept. 10.
Rafferty is asking for a free, court-appointed lawyer to appeal his conviction.
An earlier court decision denied legal aid for Rafferty.
Rafferty is appealing on grounds that the judge in his trial failed to properly instruct the jury and that the jury didn’t properly understand the required evidence to convict him of first-degree murder.
He was convicted in May 2012 of first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault causing bodily harm in the Woodstock, Ont., girl’s death on April 8, 2009.
Rafferty’s former girlfriend and accomplice in the killing, Terri-Lynne McClintic, is also serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to first-degree murder.
With files from the Canadian Press