Latest news with #StuartMacGregor
CBC
14-06-2025
- CBC
Crown stays cold case double murder charges for second time in a week
Social Sharing For the second time in a week, a Calgary man facing two counts of first-degree murder in a historic homicide will be released from custody. The Crown announced on Friday it has stayed both of the charges against Leonard Cochrane, 55, due to a "significant issue with the evidence." The decision comes one week after the co-accused, Stuart MacGregor, saw his murder charges dropped for the same reason. In 2023, Cochrane was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder in the 1994 fatal shootings of Barry Buchart and Trevor Deakins. Cochrane was serving a life sentence. MacGregor was also facing two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths, with a trial set to take place in November, when the charges against him were stayed last week. The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement on Friday that it encountered a significant issue with the evidence in MacGregor's case, which was "ultimately determined to be insurmountable." The issue led to the decision to release Cochrane from custody, as well. "Crown prosecutors have also conducted a thorough examination of the available admissible evidence in the prosecution of Mr. Cochrane, exploring all possible paths forward," the Crown's statement said. "However, the same issues encountered in Mr. MacGregor's file impact the file of Mr. Cochrane, and the matter was stayed on June 13, 2025." On Monday, the Crown announced it had consented to a retrial for Cochrane. Charges were laid in the 1994 double murder with the help of genetic genealogical investigative techniques. Investigators tracked down family members of the suspect, which ultimately led to Cochrane's arrest after his DNA was matched to blood found at the crime scene. Balfour Der, Cochrane's defence lawyer, said on Friday he was pleased with the result, and maintained Cochrane should have been found not guilty at his trial. "This case involves novel and important privacy rights considerations for all Canadians," Der said in an emailed statement. "That issue will not be decided because the case has been stayed, but I am sure it [will] come up again on another case." On July 11, 1994, two men broke into a home in Calgary's southeast Radisson Heights neighbourhood, where Buchart and Deakins were killed. Both victims were shot at point-blank range. The investigation into their deaths went cold for decades before police reopened the investigation in 2019. Cochrane was charged in 2020. MacGregor was charged three years later in 2023. In a statement to CBC News last week about MacGregor's charges being stayed, a Calgary Police Service (CPS) spokesperson said CPS was unable to speak publicly about its investigation into the double homicide due to privacy considerations and other limitations. The CPS statement said the passage of time in cold cases can present challenges, such as changes in evidence standards, investigative techniques and legal framework. "While we cannot speak specifically about this case, our approach to homicide investigations has evolved considerably since the 90s, and practices that were once standard may differ from those we follow today," the statement said.
CBC
11-06-2025
- CBC
Crown concedes defence appeal in 1994 double murder days after charges against co-accused stayed
The Crown has consented to a retrial for one of the men accused in a 30-year-old double murder, just days after abandoning the prosecution of a second man facing the same charges. In 2023 Leonard Cochrane, 55, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the 1994 fatal shootings of Barry Buchart and Trevor Deakins. Cochrane appealed his convictions, but the case hadn't yet make it to a hearing. Instead the Crown conceded the defence appeal, citing a "disclosure issue," according to Cochrane's lawyer Balfour Der. The news comes after charges against Cochrane's co-accused, Stuart MacGregor, were dropped on Friday due to what the prosecution called "a significant issue with the evidence." Charges were laid in the once-cold case with the help of genetic genealogical investigative techniques. Investigators tracked down family members of the suspect, which ultimately led to Cochrane's arrest after his DNA was matched to blood found at the crime scene. "We're pleased with that decision [to concede the appeal], but we felt we had some good grounds of appeal to pursue on very novel points that no doubt would have found their way to the Supreme Court of Canada," said Der. Buchart, 26, and Deakins, 25, were killed in 1994 in their home in the southeast community of Radisson Heights. Both victims were shot at point-blank range. At the time, Buchart sold marijuana. In Cochrane's trial, the judge found that he was one of two masked men who broke into the victims' home on July 11, 1994, to steal drugs or money. Cochrane was arrested in 2020, MacGregor was charged three years later.
CBC
07-06-2025
- CBC
Crown stays cold case murder charges after identifying 'insurmountable' issue with evidence
A Calgary man accused of killing two people nearly 30 years ago saw his murder charges dropped on Friday due to what the Crown described as "a significant issue with the evidence." Stuart Douglass MacGregor, 55, was facing two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Barry Christian Buchart, 26, and Trevor Thomas Deakins, 25, who were fatally shot in 1994. Defence lawyers Rebecca Snukal and Michael Bates have been in pre-trial hearings dealing with the admissibility of certain evidence leading up to the trial which was set to take place in November. On Friday, Snukal confirmed she'd received a letter from the Crown announcing the charges had been stayed. "Our client has always maintained his innocence in relation to these charges and is extremely relieved and grateful to return home to his family," wrote Snukal and Bates in a brief statement. Snukal confirmed Stuart will be released from custody later today after being held at the Calgary Remand Centre since his arrest in 2023. Evidence issue 'insurmountable' A spokesperson for the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service also issued a statement, saying that prosecutors continually assess their cases to "ensure all aspects of the evidence are carefully considered at every stage of a prosecution." "During the prosecution, the Crown prosecutor encountered a significant issue with the evidence," reads the statement. "The Crown prosecutor thoroughly explored all paths to trial so the allegations could be determined on the merits, however, the evidentiary issue was ultimately determined to be insurmountable." On July 11, 1994, two men broke into a home in Calgary's southeast, where Buchart and Deakins were killed. Both victims were shot point-blank. The investigation into the killings went cold for decades before police reopened the investigation in 2019. Using genetic genealogical investigative techniques, police were able to track down family members of the suspects, which ultimately led them to arrest two men. Leonard Brian Cochrane was charged in 2020. MacGregor was arrested and charged in 2023, the same year a Calgary judge convicted Cochrane of murder. Cochrane is currently serving a life sentence.
