Latest news with #AlbertaCrownProsecutionService
CBC
15-07-2025
- CBC
Calgary police officer charged with 2 counts of 2nd-degree murder
A Calgary police officer has been charged with murder following a 2023 police shooting that left two men dead. Const. Craig Stothar faces two charges of second-degree murder stemming from a shooting that took place on May 29, 2023. On Tuesday, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) — a provincial agency that investigates incidents where death or serious injury may have been caused by police — announced the charges following its investigation. The evidence gathered during ASIRT's investigation provided reasonable grounds to believe that offences had been committed, a release said. ASIRT's findings were forwarded to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service which determined the evidence met its standard for taking the case to trial.
Calgary Herald
14-06-2025
- Calgary Herald
Crown stays charges against accused Calgary double-murderer awaiting retrial
Prosecutors have stayed murder charges against a second Calgary man accused in a historic double homicide, days after conceding his appeal. Article content Leonard Brian Cochrane was arrested in 2020 and later convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the July 11, 1994, fatal shootings of Barry Buchart and Trevor Deakins in their Radisson Heights home. Article content Article content Another Calgary man, Stuart Douglas MacGregor, was charged in the same killings but prosecutors last week stayed the two first-degree murder charges against him. Article content Article content In a statement Friday, the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service confirmed the charges against Cochrane — who was scheduled for a retrial on appeal — have also been stayed. Article content Article content 'In the matter of R v MacGregor, during the prosecution, the Crown prosecutor encountered a significant issue with the evidence. These evidentiary issues were ultimately determined to be insurmountable, and the charges were stayed on June 6, 2025,' it reads. Article content 'Crown prosecutors have also conducted a thorough examination of the available admissible evidence in the prosecution of Mr. Cochrane, exploring all possible paths forward. However, the same issues encountered in Mr. MacGregor's file impact the file of Mr. Cochrane and the matter was stayed on June 13, 2025.' Article content Article content Article content Cochrane was linked to the scene using investigative genetic genealogy, which compares individuals in known DNA databases and material found at the scene to narrow the list of suspects to relatives with similar genetic markers. Article content When MacGregor was charged, police said they used the same technology to lead them to a second suspect. Article content Defence lawyer Balfour Der said Friday that he and co-counsel James McLeod were pleased with the decision, believing their client was not guilty. Article content 'This case involves a novel and important privacy rights considerations for all Canadians. We will not get to settle that issue but I am sure it will come up in another case,' Der said in a statement. Article content MacGregor spent more than 18 months in custody before his release. Article content Calgary police issued a statement last week after charges against MacGregor were dropped. Article content 'Historical homicide investigations are inherently complex. The passage of time in these cases can present significant challenges, including changes in evidence standards, investigative techniques and legal framework,' police said.
Winnipeg Free Press
21-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Arrest warrant issued for Alberta woman released from jail with fake documents
EDMONTON – An arrest warrant has been issued for an Alberta woman who was released from jail last month with alleged fake documents. Mackenzie Dawn Hardy was charged with several offences, including possession of stolen property, impaired driving and flight from police, after she was arrested in March. The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service says Hardy was released from custody after staff at the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre near Edmonton were shown documents indicating her charges had been stayed. Spokeswoman Michelle Davio says the use of the alleged false documents is being investigated by police. RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff says an Alberta-wide warrant has been issued for Hardy and efforts are being made to extend it Canada-wide. A woman identifying herself as Hardy has posted videos on the social media platform TikTok, where she taunts law enforcement and denies the papers were fake. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2025.
Toronto Star
21-05-2025
- Toronto Star
Arrest warrant issued for Alberta woman released from jail with fake documents
EDMONTON - An arrest warrant has been issued for an Alberta woman who was released from jail last month with alleged fake documents. Mackenzie Dawn Hardy was charged with several offences, including possession of stolen property, impaired driving and flight from police, after she was arrested in March. The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service says Hardy was released from custody after staff at the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre near Edmonton were shown documents indicating her charges had been stayed. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Spokeswoman Michelle Davio says the use of the alleged false documents is being investigated by police. RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff says an Alberta-wide warrant has been issued for Hardy and efforts are being made to extend it Canada-wide. A woman identifying herself as Hardy has posted videos on the social media platform TikTok, where she taunts law enforcement and denies the papers were fake. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2025.
Calgary Herald
21-05-2025
- Calgary Herald
Released from Fort Saskatchewan jail on fake papers, woman on the lam
Article content Freed from Fort Saskatchewan jail last month by what officials are calling faked release papers, 24-year-old Mackenzie Dawn Hardy is posting her way into 15 minutes of fame, taunting law enforcement on TikTok. Article content Article content 'My name is Mackenzie, and I got a funny story to tell you guys, so the government f—ed up, and I'm an escaped inmate right now, they are not gonna catch me because I'm two, one step ahead of them…,' she posted. Article content Article content She garnered half a million likes by Tuesday evening. Article content Article content Hardy faces a number of charges, including possession of property over $5,000, possession of property under $5,000, impaired driving, flight from peace officer, two charges of operation while prohibited, two charges of fraudulent concealment, possession of controlled substance — meth, and two charges of failure to comply with a release order. Article content Michelle Davio of the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) confirmed Hardy was released after the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre was presented with fraudulent documents indicating the charges against her had been stayed. Article content 'As soon as ACPS became aware, we responded by seeking a warrant for her arrest. The ACPS has also referred the alleged use of fraudulent documents to the RCMP for investigation,' Davio told Postmedia in an emailed statement. Article content Article content 'The ACPS takes this matter very seriously and steps have been taken by all parties to ensure this cannot happen in the future,' Davio said. Article content Via TikTok, Hardy disputed the government account. Article content 'I never escaped. The government f—ed up. There was no fraudulent release order,' she said. Article content 'The court signed my release, no fake paperwork, no tricks.' Article content 'I'm not a danger to the public, I'm not a threat. I'm just a girl who bought a van legally and got punished for trusting the wrong people. I've got the receipts. I've got the proof,' she said. Article content Hardy claimed her boyfriend, 'the person I spent my life with,' was diagnosed with tumor stage three. Article content 'The doctors gave him about a year to live, so yeah, when I got released, I felt like it was more than paperwork. It felt like a gift from God, like the timing was too perfect to be random,' she posted.
