Wandering River resident Trevor Bobocel has been charged with second-degree murder and committing an indignity to the body of his common-law partner, Roxanne Bigelow.
Bobocel faces charges after Bigelow’s remains were found last Friday morning at a location off of Conklin Trail Road, about 37 kilometres north of Lac La Biche.
Bobocel appeared in Lac La Biche Provincial Court yesterday and sobs were heard in the packed courtroom.
The 38-year-old accused looked at the floor during most of the proceedings, only muttering, “I understand,” after Judge Don Demetrick read the charges.
A second court appearance is scheduled for March 28, giving Bobocel time to get a lawyer. The accused is scheduled to appear by closed-circuit television from the Edmonton Remand Centre.
Police have confirmed that Bobocel was arrested near a burning vehicle last Friday morning, the same one Lac La Biche and Owl River fire departments responded to at around 8 a.m.
The investigation is still ongoing but police have confirmed that a brush cutter was involved in the murder, according to RCMP spokeswoman Doris Stapleton.
Police have identified the remains to be that of Bigelow, the mother of five children, the youngest being only eight months old.
Friends and family are devastated by the news, and remember Bigelow as a kind, caring person and a good mom.
“She was a beautiful person, very caring,” said a close female friend who wished to remain anonymous.
The woman said she had made plans to see the couple last weekend and was shocked when she heard the news.
“You see horrible events on the news everyday and you think, “That’s a shame.” But when it happens to you, it’s completely different. It makes you re-evaluate life.”
A trust fund has been established for the five children at ScotiaBank to help family members raise the children. Donations can be made to the Bobocel-Bigelow trust fund at the Lac La Biche Scotiabank branch.
