TORONTO — A Toronto lawyer who conspired with his lover to kill his husband has been released on bail while he appeals his murder conviction.
Demitry Papasotiriou-Lanteigne and his lover, Michael Ivezic, were convicted in June of first-degree murder in the killing of Allan Lanteigne. Both were sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Court documents show Papasotiriou-Lanteigne, 38, is seeking to appeal his conviction, alleging the jury's verdict was unreasonable because it was based entirely on circumstantial evidence.
The pair's murder trial heard Papasotiriou-Lanteigne was in Greece, where he owns a home, when his husband was bludgeoned to death at their Toronto residence in March 2011.
However, court heard Ivezic — with whom Papasotiriou-Lanteigne was having an affair — had returned to Toronto after visiting his lover in Greece and his DNA was found under Lanteigne's fingernails.
Prosecutors alleged Papasotiriou-Lanteigne arranged to have his husband arrive at the couple's home at a certain time, while Ivezic waited to carry out the killing.
Crown attorneys alleged money was the key motive, as it had been a source of strife for the couple and the two men had taken out a $2-million life insurance policy together a few years earlier, court documents show.
Shortly after the murder, Papasotiriou-Lanteigne attempted to collect on the policy and on survivor benefits from his deceased husband's employer, the documents show.
Prosecutors alleged email exchanges between Papasotiriou-Lanteigne and his husband, and those between him and his lover, proved his involvement in the murder plot.
They pointed to one email in particular, sent the day of the killing, in which Papasotiriou-Lanteigne insisted his husband be home by a certain time.
In seeking to have his conviction overturned, Papasotiriou-Lanteigne alleges the trial judge misapprehended the email and that his correspondence with both men is open to interpretation.
The court of appeal has granted him bail until his case is concluded, under the supervision of his mother, his step-father and his step-father's mother, according to court documents.
While on bail, Papasotiriou-Lanteigne is under strict house arrest and monitored through a GPS ankle bracelet that he pays for himself, the documents say.
The appeal court said it considered Papasotiriou-Lanteigne's compliance with his pre-trial bail conditions in agreeing to his release.
"I accept that, standing alone, (Papasotiriou-Lanteigne)'s connections to Greece may give pause for concern," Justice Gary T. Trotter wrote.
"However, any lingering concerns about flight are answered by his history of bail compliance and the strict release plan that is proposed."
The judge also said there is no concern for public safety.
