Quebec man charged in slaying of Alberta woman 16 years ago
A Quebec man has been charged in the slaying of a 21-year-old Alberta woman 16 years ago.
The RCMP say Stephane Parent has been charged with seconddegree murder in the death of Adrienne McColl in February 2002.
Supt. Garrett Woolsey says Parent, who is 49, was arrested in Gatineau, Que., on Saturday and has been living in Ontario and Quebec since shortly after McColl’s death.
McColl disappeared around Valentine’s Day and her body was found three days later in a rancher’s field near Nanton, 85 kilometres south of Calgary.
April Hall was close friends with McColl and says they worked with Parent at the Studio 82 bikini bar in Calgary at the time McColl vanished.
Hall says Parent and McColl were romantically involved and
■ had a volatile relationship.
Hall says it’s been difficult for McColl’s loved ones to wait so long for an arrest and she’s feeling happy, angry and sad all at the same time.
“I’m just a wreck right now. I never thought this day would come. This is just unbelievable,” she said Monday.
“It’s just been so long. We’ve just waited so long for this.”
Hall said she and McColl were supposed to go out the night her friend disappeared.
About one week ago, the RCMP announced they’d found new evidence in the cold case thanks to advances in technology. Investigators with the major crimes unit said in that statement they were convinced they would make an arrest. They said the investigation had been ongoing since the discovery of McColl’s body.
Hall said her hopes have been raised over the years, only to be let down. She said she got a call four years ago from an RCMP constable suggesting there would soon be an arrest, but nothing came of it.
“I’m so overwhelmed right now I don’t know what to think.”