Photo by Curtis Galbraith

By Curtis Galbraith

Court

Court update: Guilty plea in murder case, trial ordered in abduction case

Oct 12, 2019 | 7:00 AM

A Grande Prairie man had pleaded guilty in a Peace River murder case.

Blake Murphy admitted to a charge of second-degree murder during an October 3 court appearance.

He was given a life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 years.

He was changed after the body of 20-year-old Lawrence Robert Butt was found in a burned-out trailer along Reno Road May 17, 2017.

Two other people charge in this case still have court dates coming up.

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Kyle Dubroy-Clement of peace River is to stand trial in June. He is facing charges that include accessory to murder and manslaughter and robbery with a firearm.

Paige Eileen Burkinshaw of Grande Prairie has a preliminary hearing date set for January 14. She is also facing manslaughter and robbery with a firearm counts.

Preliminary hearing set in abduction case

A second man charged after an assault, abduction and police chase has been ordered to stand trial.

This came after a preliminary hearing for Andrew Schurman on October 7 in Grande Prairie court.

He faces charges that include kidnapping and break and enter.

He was arrested in March of this year after an incident that happened on July 3, 2018. Two men broke into a home in south Grande Prairie, assaulted the person inside, then forced that person into a vehicle and took off.

A chase ensued that ended near Crooked Creek. The person abducted was not injured.

Another man, Kendall Kruger, was given a 54-month jail sentence on July 3 of this year after admitting to break and enter to commit a robbery and failure to stop for police charges.