Victim’s widow ‘happy’ charges laid in double killing

The widow of one victim of a high-profile double homicide three years ago says she’s “just about ecstatic” that murder charges have been laid against one of two teenage runaways previously charged in the case.

“I’m just so happy. I’ve been almost dancing around,” said Judy Breitkreitz. “It’s just fi- nally, finally, we might get some answers and some responsibility.”

Alberta Justice announced Friday that the Crown had recommenced charges against one of the youths in the deaths of Barry Boenke 68, and Susan Trudel, 50, who were found dead on Boenke’s Ardrossan acreage in June 2009.

The announcement came about 10 months after the charges were stayed due to lack of evidence.

The teen, who cannot be named, is now charged with two counts of second-degree murder, possession of a weapon, break and enter, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

A new charge of counselling “other persons” to commit murder was also laid. RCMP Supt. Gary Steinke said investigators found evidence to support that charge in the course of the Boenke-trudel investigation, but the two cases are unrelated.

The accused, who turned 17 on Thursday, appeared in Edmonton youth court on Friday on all of the charges, and was remanded in custody.

At the time of the killings on May 30, 2009, the two youths were on the run from a youth treatment facility, about 10 kilometres from Boenke’s property. The teens were arrested after police found them in Edmonton driving a white truck alleged to have been stolen from Boenke. Officers then went to Boenke’s property and discovered the two bodies.

The teens, both 14, were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder and had been slated to go to trial last fall. But the charges were stayed in July after a four-hour statement given by one teen was ruled inadmissible by the trial judge.

Under the Criminal Code, stayed charges can be recommenced within one year.

“The moment the stay was initiated, our investigators worked from that day on to this day, and that’s what brought us here now,” Steinke said. “I can’t comment on the type of evidence we obtained, but I can tell you that it is significant.”