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Edmonton murder trial in nurse’s death begins, ex-boyfriend accused

WATCH ABOVE: The man accused of killing an Edmonton nurse was in court for the first day of his trial today. Kendra Slugoski reports.

EDMONTON – The trial for the man charged with the first degree murder in the 2008 death of an Edmonton nurse began Tuesday morning.

Devon Hugh Saunders, 46, is charged in the death of his ex-girlfriend Shernell Pierre.

In March 2008, Pierre’s body was found inside a burnt out vehicle on 170 Street and 87 Avenue near the Misericordia Hospital, where she worked. The 26-year-old nurse was shot, then her vehicle was set on fire with her body inside.

Saunders was arrested in March 2012.

The Crown called three witnesses Tuesday, including a man who said he drove past the burning vehicle and a woman who worked with Sharnell the night of her death.

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Pierre’s sister Jolin Thompson was in court Tuesday. The two sisters were extremely close, Thompson said.

“It was really hard at first like when she was gone. It would be nice to have some closure in the sense that we didn’t even get to see her.”

Jolin Thompson speaks to the media during the first day of a murder trial into the death of her sister, Tuesday, April 7, 2015. Kendra Slugoski, Global News

The trial has been scheduled until May 1.

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