Murder suspect still needs to retain lawyer

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on April 19, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A Lethbridge man charged with second-degree murder, and who was expected to hire a new lawyer and set a date for a preliminary hearing, still hasn’t done either one.
Jade Levi Trotter was expected to announce during a court appearance last week in Lethbridge that he had retained Calgary lawyer Andrea Urquhart. His former lawyer, Gloria Froese, was previously permitted to withdraw as counsel for “personal reasons,” and Urquhart was hoping to go on the record.
Urquhart said earlier in the month she was waiting to be retained and would not be able to proceed with a preliminary inquiry that was scheduled to run last week but was cancelled after Froese got off the record. A preliminary hearing is typically held to determine if there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.
The matter is now set to return to court next week, ostensibly for Urquhart to confirm her retainer before rescheduling the preliminary hearing.
Trotter, who remains in custody at the Lethbridge Correctional Centre, is charged with one count each of second-degree murder and break and enter.
Police, responding to a call Feb. 8 of last year that someone was screaming for help, arrived at an apartment building in the 1200 block of 4 Avenue South and found the body of 65-year-old Glenn Lofthouse. Police arrested Trotter the following day at a residence in the 1100 block of 11 Street South.
Police said the suspect and victim knew each other, and the alleged murder was over a property dispute. Police also recovered a weapon they believe was used to kill Lofthouse.

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