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 will be back in court in November, with an agent for his lawyer saying a date for a pre-trial conference is still being worked on and a two-day preliminary hearing is expected.
In Westlock Provincial Court Oct. 5, Traci Overacker, an agent for Eddy Michael Trindle’s lawyer Gordon Collins, asked Judge Thomas Achtymichuk to set the case over to Nov. 2 — Trindle, who’s case has been in court seven times, has yet to enter a plea on the murder charge. During the brief 90-second court appearance Trindle, who’s currently locked up at the Peace River Correctional Centre and is under a warrant to hold, was not made available over CCTV.
“A Form 4 has been filed as of yesterday (Oct. 4). We are in the process of getting a pre-trial conference and I understand a special sitting is going to be required for the preliminary hearing because it should be at least two days,” said Overacker.
During Trindle’s initial, three-minute court appearance June 22 via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre, 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.
