Beaumont man Kenneth Skelly is on trial for second-degree murder in the death of Treasa Lynn Oberly, with whom he was in a relationship.
The 40-year-old Beaumont woman disappeared July 14, 2023, and left behind their young son.
Tuesday marked the first day of a nine-day jury trial at the Wetaskiwin courthouse in central Alberta.
The jury first heard Crown prosecutor Christina da Rosa’s opening statements and said Skelly delivered a devastating blow to Oberly’s head.
In court, the Crown claimed Skelly convincingly lied to police. Da Rosa said the jury would hear from Skelly about how horrible Oberly was and that he was tired of Oberly spending his money.
Court heard testimony from RCMP Const. Brody Blumhagen that he was sent to do a wellness check on Oberly. Skelly opened the door and said she went to visit her sick mom in Delaware. Her family is from the United States.
Blumhagen called Homeland Security, who said Oberly never crossed the border and no one with her name had visited the United States since 2010.
The jury on Tuesday was shown a video, taken 10 days after Oberly disappeared, of Skelly being told RCMP believe there was foul play and he was a suspect.
In the video, Skelly said on the day she disappeared they had a fight and he told Oberly to leave. He said he then took the kids out for the day.
When he got home, Skelly said he thought Oberly was in her bedroom and said he didn’t realize until the next morning she was gone.
In that statement to police, Skelly said people showed up to his house pounding on the door, looking for Oberly because she owed them money.
Family and friends of Oberly said it was hard listening to the details in court and expect it to be a difficult trial.
The defence’s opening statements will be heard next in court.