By Delon Shurtz on July 20, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com
A 37-year-old Piikani man accused of killing a teenager last summer, is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing later this year.
The hearing for Dustin Big Bull – who elected Feb. 16 to be tried by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge and jury, and pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and causing an indignity to human remains – is set to begin Nov. 9 in Fort Macleod provincial court. A preliminary hearing is typically held to determine whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.
Big Bull is charged with the death of 16-year-old Tregan Crow Eagle, whose remains were found July 27, 2020, wrapped in a tarp at a dumpsite on the Piikani Nation. The teen had earlier been reported missing and was last seen on July 22.
Shortly after Big Bull was arrested and charged last October, Calgary lawyer Balfour Der took the case. However, he withdrew Feb. 3. Calgary lawyer James Wyman has taken over the file.
During a brief hearing in January, court was told Big Bull had completed a fitness assessment, and was declared fit to stand trial.
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