Latest news with #LauraFurlan
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Calgary man to be sentenced for first-degree murder
Christopher Dunlop, convicted of first-degree murder earlier this month, will be sentenced on Monday. A Calgary man convicted of murdering a woman is being sentenced Monday afternoon. A justice is scheduled to give Christopher Dunlop his sentence at 1 p.m. Dunlop was found guilty of first-degree murder and indignity to a human body on July 7. The 50-year-old is convicted of killing 58-year-old Judy Maerz at Deerfoot Athletic Park in February 2023. Police found Maerz's body badly burned, with the medical examiner telling court she had been stabbed 79 times. In court on Monday, Christopher Dunlop was convicted in the death of 58-year-old Judy Maerz at Deerfoot Athletic Park in February 2023. Christopher Dunlop was convicted in the death of 58-year-old Judy Maerz at Deerfoot Athletic Park in February 2023. During his decision, the justice said Maerz's death was deliberate and carefully planned out, and likely occurred during a sexual assault by Dunlop. Dunlop was previously convicted of manslaughter in the death of another sex worker, Laura Furlan, in 2009. He strangled Furlan to death while having sex with her at Deerfoot Athletic Park before dumping her body in Fish Creek Provincial Park. He served a 13-year prison sentence and was released in 2022. A first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence, with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Two-time killer who targeted Calgary street sex workers to be sentenced
A Calgary man who's now killed two women who worked in the city's sex trade will be handed a life sentence today, 16 years after he strangled his first victim. Earlier this month, Christopher Dunlop, 50, was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2023 death of Judy Maerz, 58. Dunlop had recently finished serving his 13-year manslaughter sentence for strangling Laura Furlan when he stabbed Maerz 79 times and then set her body on fire. At the time of her death, Maerz was living a vulnerable lifestyle. She struggled with drug addiction and poverty but had managed to secure an apartment. It was her first home in 12 years. The night she was killed, Maerz spent time with a friend before she headed out to the Forest Lawn stroll. In the early morning hours of Feb. 16, 2023, Dunlop picked her up, drove her to the Deerfoot Athletic Park and attacked her. After fatally stabbing Maerz and slitting her throat, Dunlop doused her body in gasoline and set it on fire. But while he attempted to destroy DNA evidence left on Maerz's body, Dunlop left some behind. The evidence presented at trial suggested Maerz "fought for her life," according to prosecutors Hyatt Mograbee and Greg Piper. In the course of the struggle, Dunlop cut his hand. His blood, left in the melting snow, ultimately led police to arrest the two-time killer. Comments made by Dunlop to undercover police officers during the Furlan investigation help to explain his choice of victims. Dunlop told undercover officers that on the night he killed Furlan, he'd set out to kill someone "who wouldn't be missed." When Dunlop went looking for his second victim years later, he likely thought the same thing. Court of King's Bench Justice Colin Feasby noted in his conviction decision that Dunlop likely believed police wouldn't thoroughly investigate the murder of a street sex worker. Dunlop was wrong. He now faces life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Two-time killer who targeted Calgary street sex workers to be sentenced
Social Sharing A Calgary man who's now killed two women who worked in the city's sex trade will be handed a life sentence today, 16 years after he strangled his first victim. Earlier this month, Christopher Dunlop, 50, was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2023 death of Judy Maerz, 58. Dunlop had recently finished serving his 13-year manslaughter sentence for strangling Laura Furlan when he stabbed Maerz 79 times and then set her body on fire. At the time of her death, Maerz was living a vulnerable lifestyle. She struggled with drug addiction and poverty but had managed to secure an apartment. It was her first home in 12 years. The night she was killed, Maerz spent time with a friend before she headed out to the Forest Lawn stroll. In the early morning hours of Feb. 16, 2023, Dunlop picked her up, drove her to the Deerfoot Athletic Park and attacked her. After fatally stabbing Maerz and slitting her throat, Dunlop doused her body in gasoline and set it on fire. But while he attempted to destroy DNA evidence left on Maerz's body, Dunlop left some behind. The evidence presented at trial suggested Maerz "fought for her life," according to prosecutors Hyatt Mograbee and Greg Piper. In the course of the struggle, Dunlop cut his hand. His blood, left in the melting snow, ultimately led police to arrest the two-time killer. Comments made by Dunlop to undercover police officers during the Furlan investigation help to explain his choice of victims. Dunlop told undercover officers that on the night he killed Furlan, he'd set out to kill someone "who wouldn't be missed." When Dunlop went looking for his second victim years later, he likely thought the same thing. Court of King's Bench Justice Colin Feasby noted in his conviction decision that Dunlop likely believed police wouldn't thoroughly investigate the murder of a street sex worker. Dunlop was wrong. He now faces life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
CBC
07-07-2025
- CBC
Verdict expected for Calgary man accused of killing 2nd sex trade worker
Social Sharing A verdict is expected today for a Calgary man accused of murdering a sex trade worker, 16 years after he killed another woman who worked in the city as a prostitute. Christopher Dunlop, 50, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Judy Maerz, 58, whose body was found butchered and burned in the Deerfoot Athletic Park in February 2023. On Monday, Court of King's Bench Justice Colin Feasby will release his decision after presiding over a three-week trial last month. The verdict will come 16 years after Dunlop killed Laura Furlan — who was also working in the city's sex trade at the time — after he picked her up from a known sex stroll in Calgary. 'Someone who wouldn't be missed' He took Furlan to the Deerfoot Athletic Park, fatally strangled her and then dumped her body 20 kilometres away at Fish Creek Park. Police later determined that Dunlop had searched online for "disposing a body using fire." Before the trial began, Feasby ruled that prosecutors Hyatt Mograbee and Greg Piper were allowed to argue that the similarities between the Furlan and Maerz homicides bolstered its case against Dunlop. After he strangled Furlan in 2009, Dunlop told undercover officers that he'd set out the night of the killing "looking for someone who wouldn't be missed," someone he could "f–k up." Prosecutors argued in the Maerz case that Dunlop "set out once again to find somebody who wouldn't be missed." In the Fuland case, Dunlop pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served a 13-year sentence. In the Maerz homicide, prosecutors are seeking a conviction for first-degree murder and have argued the evidence allows for two pathways to get there. The Crown says it has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the killing was planned and deliberate and that it was committed in the course of a sexual assault. On the morning of Feb. 16, 2023, Maerz's body was found in the park; her pants were pulled down and she had suffered 79 stab and slash wounds before her body had been set on fire. Maerz "fought for her life," prosecutors said, pointing to defensive wounds on her body. In the course of that fight, the Crown argued Maerz's attacker was injured, leaving blood behind in the snow. DNA evidence Some of the key evidence in the Crown's case comes from that blood found at the crime scene near Maerz's body which came back a match to Dunlop. Two weeks after Maerz was killed, police attended Dunlop's home to execute an arrest and search warrant. That's when officers discovered Maerz's purse in Dunlop's garage. The Crown also presented video evidence that it says tracks Dunlop to his wife's workplace where he swapped vehicles, onto the Forest Lawn area where it's alleged he picked up Maerz and then to the athletic park. The video, argued prosecutors, then tracks Dunlop in his wife's SUV back to her workplace. Prosecutors say CCTV video then shows Dunlop getting back into his truck and returning to the crime scene, just long enough to set a body on fire. Defence lawyer Allan Fay did not call any witnesses but argued that investigators made evidence "fit their theory instead of looking at evidence and forming a theory from it."
CBC
13-06-2025
- CBC
Murder trial hears from convicted killer's wife who led police to key evidence in sex worker homicide
It was an emotional day in a Calgary courtroom as the wife of a man accused of killing a second sex trade worker testified at his first-degree murder trial, telling the judge that she led police to a key piece of evidence — the victim's purse. The courtroom gallery was full as Christopher Dunlop's wife April, who was called by prosecutors Hyatt Mograbee and Greg Piper, took the stand on Thursday. The 54-year-old was visibly upset and shaken at times throughout her testimony. April made it clear after court she wasn't present in support of her former spouse and confirmed they are no longer together. "Our hearts go out to the victims and their families," April said. "This has been devastating for our whole family and we just want to heal and move forward." In 2009, Dunlop fatally strangled Laura Furlan and then dumped her body in Fish Creek Park. He was released from prison in 2020 with his manslaughter sentence expiring in 2022, meaning he was no longer under court-ordered conditions. In 2023, Dunlop is accused of picking up Judy Maerz for sex, taking her to the Deerfoot Athletic Park where prosecutors say he fatally stabbed her before setting her body on fire. The Crown has already presented CCTV and cellphone evidence supporting its theory that Dunlop drove his truck to the Peter Lougheed hospital, switched into her RAV4, then picked up Maerz on the Forest Lawn prostitution stroll and took her to Deerfoot Athletic Park. Calgary police crime analyst Mark Ruggieri presented video evidence showing a vehicle entering the park at 3:03 a.m. and leaving at 3:12 a.m. April finds car open, purse inside Prosecutors allege in those nine minutes, Dunlop fatally stabbed Maerz 79 times. Dunlop is then accused of driving his wife's SUV back to the hospital and getting back into his truck. Ruggieri then presented further CCTV footage that the Crown says shows Dunlop's truck being tracked from the hospital to the Deerfoot Athletic Park, arriving at 3:32 a.m. During the two minutes the truck was at the park, another CCTV camera captured a large flash of light which the Crown alleges is Maerz's body being set on fire after it was doused in gasoline. 'It didn't make sense' April testified that when she finished her shift at the hospital, she walked to her car to find the door ajar. Then she noticed a purse on the dash and a bag of empty bottles in another bag on the passenger side floor. April testified that she was panicked at first, trying to make sense of what she'd found. There was no damage and nothing missing from her SUV. April said she believed she might have left her vehicle open and a homeless person may have used her car to sleep in. "A lot of people come to the hospital to sleep when they're cold," April said. "I felt pretty violated, pretty shook up … It didn't make sense that someone didn't rummage through, I couldn't make sense of it." 911 call played April checked the purse and found a government-issued ID for a woman in her 50s, a bus pass and some Walmart gift cards. She also found a little bottle of THC. She testified that she threw out the purse's contents but decided to keep the purse to donate. April said she tossed it into a donation pile in her garage. Meanwhile, Dana Krupp was about to make a "horrific" discovery. Justice Colin Feasby heard testimony from Krupp, earlier this week. Krupp testified that around 10:30 a.m. on the morning of February 16, 2023, she arrived at the Deerfoot Athletic Park with three dogs. 'Tell me this isn't real' Almost immediately she testified that she spotted Maerz's butchered, charred body. "It was the most horrific thing I've ever seen," Krupp said. "It didn't look like a real person." "Her face was burned, her hands were burned, her feet were burned … please somebody tell me this isn't real." Krupp testified that she rounded up her dogs, got them back into her car and immediately called 911. That call was played in court. "I hope it's just a stunt," she told the operator. "I'm hoping it's a mannequin … I'm really hoping it's not a body." 'Here we go again' Police arrived and began collecting evidence. Their smoking gun came back in the form of blood at the scene belonging to a man. Within two weeks, the RCMP lab confirmed the blood belonged to Christopher Dunlop, whose DNA was in the system after his previous conviction for the manslaughter of Laura Furlan. On March 1, 2023, the tactical team arrived, busting down Dunlop's door. "The tac-team had come and tackled me," said April, crying. She was handcuffed until homicide detectives showed up and removed the cuffs. Retired homicide detective Reagan Hossack testified earlier this week that when police were in the former couple's home to execute the search and arrest warrants, she told April that her husband was a suspect in a murder investigation. Hossack testified that April sat at her kitchen table and said, "Here we go again." April answered detectives' questions, eventually telling them about the night of the suspected vehicle break-in. She told them about the purse. Then she took them to it. Forensic testing later confirmed Maerz's DNA was on the purse. On Thursday afternoon, prosecutors Mograbee and Piper finished calling evidence. Defence lawyer Allan Fay told Justice Colin Feasby he would not be calling any witnesses.
