Dillon Whitehawk Appeals 2022 Murder Conviction to Supreme Court

UPDATE: Dillon Whitehawk has just filed an urgent appeal with the Supreme Court following Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal decision to uphold his 2022 conviction for the gang-related murder of 29-year-old Keesha Bitternose. This significant development comes after the appeal court rejected two out of three judges’ support for Whitehawk’s claims, confirming a second-degree murder verdict in the tragic case.

In a ruling released in October 2023, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal dismissed Whitehawk’s appeal, leaving his conviction intact. However, Justice Jillyne Drennan dissented, asserting that the trial judge may not have provided sufficient evidence for the conviction. Dillon Whitehawk’s lawyer, Thomas Hynes, revealed in a statement to CBC News that they are basing their Supreme Court appeal on this dissenting opinion.

Hynes expressed hope that the Supreme Court will overturn Whitehawk’s conviction, granting him a new trial. “We hope the Supreme Court agrees with our arguments,” he stated. Whitehawk’s right to appeal extends to Canada’s highest court, although Hynes noted they cannot bring up issues outside the dissent’s arguments.

Whitehawk has eight weeks to submit written materials to the Supreme Court, including a factum and the case record. Hynes anticipates that the court will schedule a hearing shortly after the submission. “Likely in the spring of 2026 is what I’d expect,” he added.

The details of Bitternose’s murder remain harrowing. Her body was discovered in January 2020 inside a home on Cameron Street, notorious for gang activity. A forensic pathologist testified during Whitehawk’s 2023 trial that Bitternose suffered multiple wounds from being beaten, stabbed, and possibly shot, making her cause of death difficult to determine.

Before her tragic death, Bitternose’s family revealed she aimed to leave gang life to complete her social work degree and pursue a master’s program. Whitehawk was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years—the maximum for second-degree murder. Justice Janet McMurtry criticized him for showing no remorse, labeling him a “serial murderer.”

Whitehawk is no stranger to serious charges, having previous convictions for first-degree murder from a 2022 case involving the drive-by shooting deaths of Jordan Denton and Keenan Toto. Although those convictions were initially upheld, he successfully appealed and was granted a new trial, now scheduled for March 2026. The Crown alleged that he killed Denton and Toto to gain a promotion within the Indian Mafia gang.

As this case develops, all eyes are on the Supreme Court and the implications of their decision for Whitehawk and the family of Keesha Bitternose. Stay tuned for more updates as the situation unfolds.