A triple murder trial is now underway Tuesday in Edmonton for a young man accused of killing a man, a woman and a teenage girl in a rural home about 200 kilometres west of Edmonton in 2015.
READ MORE: Those who know man charged in Edson triple murder describe him as goofy kid
Mickell Clayton Bailey is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of 36-year-old Roxanne Berube, her 16-year-old daughter Jazmine Lyon, and Berube’s boyfriend, 46-year-old Daniel Miller. Berube was Bailey’s aunt and Lyon was his cousin.
Bailey was initially charged with second-degree murder for Miller’s death, however the charge was upgrade to first-degree during his preliminary hearing.
The three bodies were found in a rural Alberta home near Edson in November 2015. Family said Roxanne and Dan knew each other for several years and had been living together with their blended family. In addition to Jazmine, Roxanne had four other children.
The crime left many in the area in shock at the time.
Now, the Crown has laid out its theory, suggesting theft motivated the violence.
In opening remarks on Tuesday, prosecutor John Schmidt suggested Bailey implemented his plan a day before the victims were killed, by obtaining a sawed-off shotgun from a friend.
The next night, “he waited in the darkness and watched the house for patterns,” Schmidt told the court.
After the victims were shot, the Crown alleges the accused emptied a gun locker, removed a flat screen television and cash from the home.
The Crown also said evidence will be introduced which will show the accused confessed to the crimes.
“You’ll hear Bailey confessed on two separate occasions to four different people,” Schmidt said.
READ MORE: ‘I don’t understand’: Family reeling from triple murder near Edson
The accused was arrested days after the murders, not far from the crime scene. He was shot by RCMP before being apprehended; police indicating he was armed when they arrived with their warrant.
READ MORE: 30 guns seized from home of accused in Edson triple homicide
Bailey, who is now 21 years old, is scheduled to have a three-week, judge-alone trial.
— With files from Global’s Karen Bartko
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