Suspect says he can’t recall shooting woman
Strathmore man admits he shot former girlfriend, but can’t remember the details
Choking back tears, murder suspect Glenn Randall told a Calgary jury Tuesday he is responsible for the death of his ex-girlfriend in her Strathmore home.
But a sobbing Randall said he can’t recall fatally shooting Brenda Walker and that he never planned to murder her.
Taking the witness stand in his own defence, Randall testified he was drinking in the hours leading up to the Jan. 6, 2015, early morning death of Walker, following the funeral of a friend’s wife.
Listening to a 911 call in which Walker told an emergency operator an armed man was in her home, Randall admitted his voice could be heard telling her he loved her and was sorry.
But Randall told defence lawyer Michael Bates he doesn’t remember the events leading up to Walker’s death, or what occurred afterwards.
“Do you remember the events that we can hear on that 911 call?” asked Bates.
“No,” Randall replied.
“Mr. Randall, do you acknowledge that you shot and killed Brenda Walker?” the lawyer asked.
“Yes,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
“Did you plan to kill Brenda?” Bates said.
“No, never.”
“Did you want Brenda dead?” “No,” Randall said, breaking down in tears and leading Justice Earl Wilson to ask if he wanted a break from testifying.
“I’m fine,” the accused said. Randall, 56, is charged with firstdegree murder in Walker’s shooting death in her Strathmore basement suite just days after she broke off her relationship with him.
In his testimony, Randall said he started drinking red wine at about 4 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2015, about nine hours before Walker called 911 at 1:11 a.m. the next morning.
He said he recalled considering making himself dinner and getting his bag of medication, but nothing for hours after that.
“The next thing I remember after that would be putting fuel in my truck in Bassano,” Randall said.
He said he also recalled hearing the voices of his sisters, Lorraine Schriver and Wendy Baxter, but not the content of their conversations, and the “kind of angelic” voice of former RCMP Cpl. Sean Doornbos.
“I guess I felt comfortable with that voice,” he said.
Doornbos earlier testified he spoke to Randall while the accused was driving on the Trans-Canada Highway, before he turned himself in.
Randall said he had fragmented memories of returning to Strathmore and dealing with police.
“My next memory after that … would be walking into what I would later find out was the Calgary Remand Centre.”
Jurors will hear from a defence expert witness on Wednesday.