EDMONTON – A fatality inquiry will be held to examine the circumstances of a house explosion that killed four people in a north-Edmonton neighbourhood in June 2010.
Police have already determined that Dwayne Poirier strangled his common-law wife Cathie Heard in their Lago Lindo home, then somehow caused the house to explode. Investigators believe he tampered with the natural gas line, but the explosion was so violent that it destroyed much of the evidence police searched for in their year-long investigation.
Poirier was killed in the blast.
The force of the blast reduced Poirier and Heard’s home to a crater and carved large chunks out of neighbouring homes. Craig Huber and Brad Winter, who lived in the home next door, were also killed by the blast.
Poirier’s death was deemed non-criminal, though the other three were considered homicides.
Police have said it will never be known if Poirier intended to kill himself in the blast.
Fatality inquiries do not lay blame, but seek recommendations to avoid similar deaths in the future. A date for the inquiry has not been scheduled.
Court documents showed Heard and Poirier had a tumultuous relationship, marked by verbally abusive and sometimes violent exchanges.
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