‘Another world above’: defence lawyer remembered for cross-examination prowess

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This article was published 05/02/2025 (257 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Criminal defence lawyer Sheldon Pinx was a courtroom titan.

“He was the most remarkable and exceptional cross examiner I’ve ever seen,” said Robert Tapper who was a partner with Pinx at the former Wolch Pinx Tapper Scurfield law firm.

“There are lawyers and good lawyers (with cross examination) but he was above and beyond the best – he was in another world.”

Pinx died on Tuesday at age 77 after a few years of ill health.

He’s remembered as an expert at cross-examining witnesses and his strong defence of a man later found to have been wrongfully accused of homicide.

David Asper was a criminal lawyer in the 1990s who was working on getting David Milgaard out of prison when Pinx and a team of lawyers in the law firm were in a nearby boardroom mapping out their legal strategy to defend Kyle Unger.

Unger had been charged, along with Timothy Houlahan, with the 1990 slaying of 16-year-old Brigitte Grenier at an outdoor music concert near Roseisle.

Asper said both men were found guilty, but only one of them, Unger, had testified in his defence, and Pinx was the only lawyer later criticized by the Court of Appeal. Unger, whose case was prosecuted by Crown attorney George Dangerfield, was eventually found to be wrongly convicted and was paid compensation by the province.

“Sheldon got to his closing arguments and he said the loudest witness in the courtroom was the silence of Tim Houlahan,” Asper said.

“The Court of Appeal rapped his knuckles for saying that, but I won’t let Sheldon go without saying he was right. I will wag my finger at the Court of Appeal and everybody for that. (Sheldon) was really unhappy he was singled out for that, but he was right.”

Asper said he teaches students one piece of advice Pinx gave him when he first started practising criminal law and knew there would be times when ethical choices had to be made.

“He said you have to stop the world in that moment and make good choices. Don’t try to be smart, stop and think.”

Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal, who as a Crown prosecutor was in court with Pinx several times, called him “a very skilled adversary.

“He forced you to always be on top of your game as an opposing counsel,” Joyal said on Wednesday. “Sheldon was an extraordinary courtroom lawyer who had the skills to exploit any gap or weakness in a prosecution.”

“If you didn’t have the evidence on your side, Sheldon was certainly going to make sure that it was clear to the presiding judge.”

Pinx, whose father was a tailor, grew up in the North End. He went to the University of Manitoba and graduated with a bachelor of arts in 1969, followed by a bachelor of laws in 1972.

He spent the next five decades representing clients accused of crimes at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. He served as president of the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Bar Association and was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1991.

Both of Pinx’s sons followed him into law.

His son, Jonathan, said he knew his dad was a good lawyer, but it wasn’t until they worked together in the same firm that he discovered his greatness.

“He taught me to be a better lawyer, but also several judges, Crowns and defence counsel,” Jonathan said.

“Even if it was the first time they met Sheldon, his personality ensured that anyone who met him remembered him.”

In addition to his two sons, Pinx is survived by Sonia, his wife of 51 years, a granddaughter, and a brother. The funeral will be held on Tuesday.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca