By EverythingGP staff

Court

Court update: Murder trial put off, preliminary hearing in another murder case set, trial set in weapons investigation, sentence given after break-in and assault

Jun 16, 2021 | 5:30 AM

A three-week murder trial set for Grande Prairie court has been put off.

The trial for Allan Hamelin and Harlin Martineau had just gotten underway last week when a mistrial was declared.

An email from the Crown prosecutor’s office to EverythingGP says that came after defence counsel for Hamelin told the court about a concern that led to counsel asking that a mental health assessment be done. The request was granted. A mistrial had to then be ordered because the trial could not go ahead and a jury had already been selected.

The case is due back in court July 19.

Preliminary hearing set in Grande Prairie murder

Alberta Justice says dates have been set for a preliminary hearing in a Grande Prairie murder case.

The hearing for Paul Tamasi is set for March 29 to April 1, 2022.

The Prince George man was charged with murder in March of this year in connection with the death of Karen Jordan.

Jordan was reported missing in November of 2013. Her remains were found in September of 2020 after ground searches near Wembley.

Tamasi was her husband at the time of her disappearance.

Trial dates set in weapons case

Alberta Justice says trial dates have been set for a man charged after firearms and crossbows were seized from a home near Grande Prairie late in 2020.

The trial for Leonard Berry is set for April 19 to 22, 2022.

Berry was charged after 21 firearms, two crossbows plus what RCMP described at the time as “several thousand rounds of ammunition” were seized after a search of a home located 45 kilometres northeast of Grande Prairie.

RCMP said while doing the search, a suspect would not surrender at first, resulting in a four-hour standoff. He later surrendered. Sixty-nine charges were laid, including multiple counts of possession of a weapon contrary to a prohibition order and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

Sentence given in break-in, assault, abduction

Alberta Justice says the second person charged after a 2018 incident that involved a break-in, abduction, and police pursuit that ended near Crooked Creek has been sentenced.

Andrew Schurman was given a nine-month conditional sentence on a charge of unlawfully in a dwelling house June 7 after pleading guilty back in February when a trial was set to take place.

Three other counts, kidnapping, mischief causing damage under $5000, and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public were withdrawn.

Schurman was one of two people charged after an incident on July 3, 2018.

RCMP said at the time that they got a call just before 4 a.m. about a break and enter taking place at 72 Avenue and Poplar Drive.

Two men went into the home, assaulted another person, forced them into a vehicle, and fled.

Mounties chased one of the suspect vehicles for almost an hour until it hit the ditch on Township Road 705 south of Crooked Creek.

Schurman was arrested in March of 2019. The other man charged, Kendall Kruger, pleaded guilty to charges of break and enter to commit robbery and fail to stop for police in July of 2019. He was given a 54-month jail sentence minus 18 months credit for time already spent in custody.