Trio accused of kidnapping teenager set to enter pleas next month

Lawyers for Wilbur Jerome Crockwell, Erin Bast and Frederick Cyril Boone say they've been reviewing 10,000 pages of evidence

Lawyers for two men and a woman charged with luring and kidnapping a St. John’s teenager last year indicated in court on May 3 that their clients may soon be ready to enter pleas.

Neither Wilbur Jerome Crockwell, 73, Erin Bast, 64, or Frederick Cyril Boone, 70, attended court for their scheduled appearance, but were represented by their lawyers: Robert Hoskins, Jeffrey Slade and Marianne Rennie, respectively. None of the three accused are in custody, having been granted bail with conditions.

The lawyers indicated they have received 10,000 pages of disclosure in the case, and the final piece was expected any minute: evidence of photos taken from a phone, mostly related to Crockwell, prosecutor Kellie Cullihall said.

“They now have had ample disclosure to decide what they’re going to do with the file,” she told Provincial Court Judge Paul Noble, adding the Crown is concerned that the deadline to bring the case to trial is getting near.

Slade and Rennie said they had been in discussions with the Crown about a plea deal, and asked for time to review the situation with their clients. Hoskins, whose client lives in New Brunswick, said he is still going through the evidence and is scheduled to meet with Crockwell next month.

The case will be called in court again June 19.

Police received a report June 2, 2023 that a teenage girl, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, had not returned to her residence after school. They received information that she was going to meet Crockwell, who was known to her but is not a blood relative.

Multiple sources gave the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary information that prompted concern for the girl's physical well-being, leading police to issue an Amber Alert.

Surveillance cameras captured the girl leaving the Avalon Mall with two bags and getting into a vehicle with Bast, Boone and a third person. Investigators subsequently learned Crockwell had allegedly been in contact with her and was believed to be on his way to Newfoundland.

Police arrested Crockwell in the central Newfoundland community of Badger hours after the Amber Alert was issued, and they found the teenager in a cabin on the Bay d’espoir highway, reportedly with Bast and Boone.