Christopher Allan Pirie, 32, was found dead on January 28th, 2011.
Pirie was Edmonton's fourth homicide victim of the year.
Robert Fontaine, 54, was charged with second-degree murder, offering an indignity to a dead body and possession of a weapon.
David Cameron Cardinal, 34, and Gary Joseph Gladue, 39, were also charged with second-degree murder.
charges laid
The discovery of a body in a snowbank led to police investigating Edmonton's fourth homicide of 2011.
Officers first arrived at a house at 11413 82 Street around 5:00 a.m. January 28th after a 911 call came in about a disturbance.
That led them to the alley where they found several pieces of clothing on a snowbank with a pair of black winter boots sticking out of it ... and that prompted homicide detectives to be called out.
EMS personnel attended and pronounced the victim deceased.
"The area is taped off and at this point the scene is secured and will be forensically examined," a police spokesman said.
"Right now, officers are investigating and going door-to-door to see if anyone saw anything, heard anything, and they are speaking to any witnesses.
"Detectives also have four people they are interviewing that were specifically on the scene."
At first, there was no word on gender and age of the victim or how long the body may have been in the alley.
Given how clean the snow on top of the body seemed in comparison to the immediate surrounding area, it appeared to be a recent death.
"We suspect it is criminal, and that should be confirmed in the next two hours," Insp. Darlene Savoie said later in the morning.
"Homicide detectives have arrived and are conducting their investigation."
The area behind the house is part of a construction zone for a new apartment building – see additional images »
According to one neighbour, the area where the body was found – just off the LRT tracks north of Stadium Station – was frequented by "young people."
Police were initially responding to a "trouble with person" call when the body was found. For area residents, the larger issue seemed to be "trouble with house" – read more »
Neighbours said the house was occupied by an older man. Rooms within the house were sublet to an ever-changing cast of renters who appeared to be in their 20s.
"We've always had problems with those neighbours," one resident said.
Others weren't surprised that the house, which had been an "ongoing problem," had become part of a crime scene.
"We've seen drug deals in the front yard," another said. "Cops are there all the time."
The Parkdale neighbourhood is one of many in north-central Edmonton seemingly always on the verge of gentrification. The streets are peppered with new-builds in the form of apartments and condos, older well-kept homes, affordable entry-level properties ... and some better destined for demolition.
The house at 11413 is registered to Amelia Leung who, along with her family, owns numerous properties in the area.
Leung previously faced demolition orders from the city in connection with some of her properties – including one house at 10612 96 Street where inspectors found pigeon droppings more than a metre deep in the attic.
"They built a few new condos in the area and it's starting to look better, then this happens," Parkdale resident Brent Cornell said.
"It makes me angry and frightened," another neighbour said. "I don't like people like that in my city, nevermind my alley."
"Usually it's pretty quiet," Charlene Thompson said.
"I mean, you get the homeless people that wander through picking bottles but that's about it."
However, the body in the alley gave Thompson pause.
"No, this is kinda disturbing. I don't think this is such a safe neighbourhood anymore," she said.
Another neighbour put things into perspective.
"You hear about this stuff all the time on the news," she said.
"People getting shot at the nightclub or people getting stabbed for cigarettes ... it's everywhere."
According to one neighbour, a party was taking place at the house the night before the body was found. Police attended and a man was later seen climbing into an ambulance.
More about what had happened was learned when a person who knew an occupant of the house came by the scene – read more »
Teresa said her boyfriend's brother lived in the modest home. She was driving by, saw the yellow crime tape and became very worried.
"My boyfriend's brother is the one who called the police and he is in the hospital," she said.
"I guess there was a fight or something ... that's all they could tell me."
Police confirmed one person was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries. About the body in the alley, Teresa expressed relief.
"At first I was scared," she said.
"I am more on the relieved side now that I found out my boyfriend's brother is okay.
"As long as it's not the brother I'm okay. Even though we're not talking to the brother ... still don't want to see that happen to him."
While investigators went door-to-door, forensics staff dealt with the body in the alley – see images »
One man was arrested at the scene on an unrelated charge of breaking probation conditions.
Four people from the home were taken in custody for further questioning.
One report later indicated that "a number of persons of interest" had been identified in what had yet to be declared a murder investigation.
Meantime, three days after the initial discovery, police still guarded the scene.
Later on January 31st, autopsy results were announced that confirmed 32-year-old Christopher Allan Pirie had died as the result of homicide.
Cause of death was withheld and no further details were released at the time.
While the man had previous brushes with the law, his death still came as a shock to family – read more »
Christopher Pirie was born and raised in Edmonton.
His aunt and uncle told the Edmonton Journal that their nephew largely lived apart. The slain man had two young children rarely seen by other members of the family.
Pirie's grandmother died from brain cancer in October 2010 and he seemed to struggle after the loss, moving from place to place while at the same time trying to get his kids back.
"I think that's when he kind of lost it, because him and my mom were really close," aunt Gail Prokopchuk said. "After she passed, I thought he would go crazy, and, well, he just lost it, I guess."
Christopher's mother abandoned him as a child, leaving his grandmother to raise him. Chris' mom lived here and there and showed little interest in her son.
"Me and my brother are burying him," Gail said. "What does that tell you?"
She said her nephew had a big heart and would often come home with homeless people he had met on the street. He would offer them a hot meal, a shower, and a warm place to sleep for a night.
"Chris used to babysit for me, because I have four of my own," Gail said. "Out of all of it, out of everything, I said to Chris, 'you'll be a good dad.' "
Pirie kept bad company, Gail said, hanging out with riff-raff and troublemakers. He was also a drinker who couldn't keep jobs – he got bored quickly and would quit.
"He kind of hung around with a rough crowd. He was a good kid, with a decent upbringing, though he went down a different path," Vance Pirie said of his nephew.
In 1999, the then 20-year-old Pirie and two other men had been charged with robbery, confinement and weapons offences stemming from an armed robbery at Johnny's Pub, 8318 144 Avenue, early January 23rd.
A gunman, a machete-waving bandit and a club-wielding man robbed the bar after pepper-spraying staff and patrons. The trio were charged after a two-month investigation.
"He didn't deserve this, no one does," Vance said. "Hidden under a pile of snow like that, it's not the right thing to do. I'm still in shock about it."
Though Gail talked to Christopher every week, she never really knew where he was living and couldn't say if he was living at the house where his body was found.
Later, when Robert Fontaine was charged with Chris' murder, she had never heard of him.
"He doesn't know who I am, but he soon will," Gail said. "I'm gonna be there for Chris every step of the way. Every court date, everything."
Chris, a one-time Abbottsfield-area resident, had celebrated his 32nd birthday just four days before he was killed.
Charges laid
Late February 1st, police charged 54-year-old Robert Fontaine with second-degree murder, offering an indignity to a dead body and possession of a weapon.
Fontaine was set to make his first court appearance the next morning.
No further details, such as motive and what led to the arrest, were made available.
Second man charged
On February 4th, police laid charges against a second man.
No details were provided when they announced that 34-year-old David Cameron Cardinal had also been charged with second-degree murder.
Third man charged
On February 5th, it was learned that police laid second-degree murder charges against a third man, 39-year-old Gary Joseph Gladue.
Gladue joined Cardinal when they first appeared in court on February 7th.
Their cases were put over until February 16th when Robert Fontaine was also expected back in court.
Pirie's cause of death continued to be withheld.
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