WESTLOCK – The 20-year-old man who faces a second-degree murder charge in relation to the June 2020 death of a 41-year-old Westlock resident is slated to be back in court in September as his lawyer is now in possession of case disclosure.
In Westlock Provincial Court Aug. 10, Eddy Michael Trindle’s lawyer Gordon Collins asked Judge Clifton Purvis to set the case over to Sept. 14 — Trindle has yet to enter a plea. During the brief 50-second court appearance Collins asked Trindle, who was clad in an orange jumpsuit and was appearing via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre, to contact him over the phone to review disclosure.
“I got it (the full disclosure package) on July 27 and am just working through it and haven’t come close to being finished and I’m going on holidays,” Collins told the judge.
During Trindle’s inital, three-minute court appearance June 22 via CCTV from the ERC, Judge Michèle Collinson agreed to add Mable Alook to a no-contact order with Trindle as Crown prosecutor Barry Loutit said the woman “is a potential witness in this matter.”
Case background
Following a lengthy, 24-month investigation by the Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit, Trindle was charged with second-degree murder June 7 and arrested while a serving inmate at the ERC.
At 10:30 a.m. June 9, 2020, Westlock RCMP received a call that a body had been found in the front lobby of one of the Westlock Estates buildings at 10540-103rd Street. The RCMP Major Crimes Unit was called in to assist and interviewed area residents, while a canine team searched the neighbourhood.
An autopsy was conducted June 11, 2020, by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Edmonton and RCMP confirmed the death was a homicide. As part of the June 9 release announcing the charge against Trindle, RCMP revealed that the victim was 41-year-old Westlock resident Barry Wheadon — until then the name of the victim had not been released.
