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3mo ago

Roy Allan Sobotiak Released on Bail After Decades-Old Murder Conviction Quashed

The 61-year-old, considered legally innocent, will remain under strict house-arrest conditions as Alberta challenges the federal decision to order a new trial.

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Lawyer for Ray Sobotiak, James Lockyer speaks about his client who has been in prison for murder for over 30 years, in Edmonton Alberta, May 23, 2025. Earlier this year Ray Sobotiak's conviction was quashed by the federal justice minister and a new trial was ordered. Jason Franson/The Globe and Mail.
Roy Sobotiak, seen before his incarceration for the 1987 murder of Susan Kaminsky, was released from prison May 23, 2025, after the federal justice minister concluded he may have been wrongfully convicted. It remains to be seen whether the Alberta Crown will retry him for the crime.

Overview

  • Roy Allan Sobotiak, convicted in 1991 for the disappearance and presumed murder of Susan Kaminsky, was granted bail by Justice Eric Macklin on May 23, 2025.
  • Sobotiak will live in Fort McMurray under house-arrest conditions, including a curfew, travel restrictions, and electronic monitoring for three months.
  • The federal justice minister quashed Sobotiak’s conviction in February 2025, citing a likely miscarriage of justice, and ordered a new trial, which has yet to be scheduled.
  • Alberta’s Justice Ministry has filed a judicial review to challenge the federal decision, arguing insufficient reasoning for ordering a new trial.
  • Sobotiak, who served 36 years in prison, is supported by Innocence Canada, which has advocated for his claims of wrongful conviction.