Preliminary hearing for man accused in NYE murder
The preliminary inquiry for one of two men charged with second-degree murder following a New Year's Eve homicide in Medicine Hat is set to begin today.
The three-day hearing in front of a judge will determine whether there is enough evidence against Luke Boxell for the case to proceed to trial.
Boxell’s co-accused, Leonard Robert Terence Beaulieu, has a preliminary inquiry set to run from Dec. 13-15.
The pair was charged following the death of 21-year-old Jordan Pede. Pede was found injured at Strathcona Island Park on New Year’s Eve, and later died in hospital. Police have called the homicide a drug deal gone wrong, with the cause of death being a gunshot wound.
Boxell was later arrested by police in January, while Beaulieu was arrested in Winnipeg following a Canadawide warrant, with multiple police agencies working together to locate him.
In March, Boxell was released on a $10,000 cash surety with strict conditions, which included residing under 24-hour house arrest with his family in Manitoba.
Beaulieu has remained in custody since his initial arrest, and was denied bail following a hearing in August.
A publication ban prevents the reporting of evidence, arguments and reasonings put forward during the bail hearing — and this publication ban will follow through into the preliminary hearing.
Woloski homicide
A preliminary hearing is also set to run next week for the man accused in the Nov. 2016 death of Brenda Woloski.
Running from Dec. 11-13, the hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence against Noah Harrison Bentley to proceed to trial.
Bentley was charged Nov. 12 following the death of Woloski. He has been in custody ever since, and he has yet to have a bail hearing.
Early in the year he was sent for assessment in Calgary as to whether he could be held criminally responsible. Further delays occurred in proceeding with the case as the Crown and defence counsel made multiple adjournments while waiting for the coroner’s report to be officially completed and reviewed.