Joel Clow appeals 12-year manslaughter sentence

Joel Lawrence Clow is appealing his 12-year prison sentence for the killing of his girlfriend Traci Lynch in 2015.

Clow, 50, is serving the manslaughter sentence atSpringhill Penitentiary in Nova Scotia.

He was originally convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced in 2017 to life in prison with no chance of parole for 17 years, but that conviction was overturned on appeal in February2019 and a new trial was ordered.

In June he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, so a new trial was not needed.

He was sentenced in July. The judge accepted a joint recommendation of a 12-year sentence from the Crown and defence lawyers, which Clow agreed to in court.

Lynch died in Pleasant Grove in July 2015 from blunt force injury and strangulation. Her body was found in a wheelbarrow on Clow's property, covered with several layers of items.

In passing sentence the judge described her death as "extremely violent and tragic."

Clow admitted his actions caused her death but said he was too intoxicated bydrugs and alcohol to understand what he was doing.

On Aug. 23 he filed an appeal with the P.E.I. Supreme Court, arguing that he thought the time he'd already spent in custody would be subtracted from his 12-year sentence.

In his hand-written appeal notice, Clow claims he was "misled" by the lawyers and would never have agreed to serve an additional 12 years, on top of the four he'd already spent in custody.

In his appeal notice, Clowwrote that he needed some time to find a lawyer to handle hisappeal.

John Diamond, director of prosecution, told CBCthatClow was not misled, and that everything was "above board and reasonable" with the joint recommendation he and the defence lawyer made to the court.

Once Clow finds a lawyer, it'll be up to them to convince the court that there are merits to hearing the appeal.

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