Appeal denied for man who hit victim with hammer, ran him over with SUV while suffering from delusions

A man convicted in a 2019 death in Parkland County has had his appeal denied.

Christopher Appleby was convicted of second-degree murder in 2022 in the death of Jamie Saulteaux .

According to court documents, Appleby was suffering from delusional disorder when he drove to the Paul Band First Nation waste transfer station to dispose of rims on Oct. 2, 2019.

He parked his SUV and walked toward Saulteaux, who was working at the transfer station, and hit him twice on the head with a hammer, the documents show.

Appleby and Saulteaux struggled and Appleby kicked and punched Saulteaux before hitting him with the hammer again.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

The documents show Appleby then got into his SUV, drove around the compound and ran over Saulteaux. When he saw Saulteaux get up and walk, he circled around and hit him a second time.

Saulteaux died of blunt force trauma.

On Jan. 9, Appleby appealed his conviction on the grounds that the trial judge failed to take his mental condition into consideration during his testimony and conviction.

On Tuesday, Appleby's appeal was denied.

The appeal court judges cited the findings of Alberta Hospital physician Dr. Lenka Zedkova, who treated Appleby in 2020 in their decision to dismiss his appeal.

"From his description of the fight, it is apparent that he appreciated [the deceased] was being injured as he was hitting him with the hammer and punching him in the face," Zedkova wrote in her report on Appleby.

"His decision to run over him twice in his vehicle after [the deceased] was already injured, hanging onto the railing suggests he was appreciating the nature and quality of his act, and that his intention was to cause severe harm or death."