Trial dates set for 84-year-old accused of double murder over lap dog

Family frustrated at slow justice system while alleged killer lives with family members in the community in Chilliwack

Travis Finnigan attended BC Supreme Court on Monday (Jan. 20, 2025) hoping to see the man charged with killing his parents, John Kavaloff and Valerie Smith, in cold blood in summer 2023 over a small dog.

Finnigan said it was his 20th time attending a court appearance for 84-year-old Robert Freeman who, again, was not in attendance, and who is out on bail living with his son.

A four-week jury trial was scheduled on Monday to begin Nov. 24, 2025 with jury selection on Nov. 17. A voir dire (sort of a trial within a trial) was also scheduled regarding one of the witnesses for July 24, 2025.

"While we are relieved to finally have a timeline, the legal process has taken far too long," Finnigan wrote on Facebook Jan. 20. "This broken system has left our family waiting for answers, justice, and closure while enduring repeated adjournments and inefficiencies."

MORE: Man accused of murdering his neighbours over Yorkie

Family members of the victim are also frustrated with the bail system that allows Freeman to live with his son and very few restrictions, no curfew, or ankle bracelet. He is not allowed to go near the trailer park, which is 2.5 kilometres up Chilliwack Lake Road.

"While our parents are gone forever, [he] gets to spend holidays, birthdays, and family moments with his loved ones."

While the delays in the case are agonizing for the family, scheduling a homicide trial 26 months after the murders is not out of the ordinary, and is in line with the guidelines set out in the 2016 Jordan ruling that gave dentures to the toothless definition of "reasonable time" set out in the Charter.

Section 11(b) of the Charter states that anyone charged with an offence has the right to be tried within a reasonable time. The 2016 case of R v. Jordan involved a man facing 14 drug trafficking charges, a case that took four years to be resolved. In that ruling, a majority of the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to a new framework setting time limits by which criminal trials should be complete: 18 months for trials in provincial court or 30 months for trials in superior courts.

"The Canadian legal system needs serious reform," Finnigan shared on Monday. "The delays have caused immense emotional suffering, prolonged grief, and unjustly cost taxpayers significant resources. This is not just about our family – it’s about every family in Canada who deserves a fair and timely resolution to their case."

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Paul J. Henderson
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