Resolution discussions being held on 2022 murder charges

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on March 9, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A Lethbridge man charged with second-degree murder remains in custody while his lawyer and the Crown continue to discuss the case, in hopes of avoiding a trial.

“We’re in the middle of resolution discussions, which I believe will be quite fruitful,” Calgary lawyer Andrea Urquhart explained Wednesday in Lethbridge provincial court. She also noted a psychological assessment of her client, Jade Levi Trotter, has been prepared.

The forensic assessment was initially ordered Oct. 24, but an extension was granted in December after defence said the assessment and subsequent report had not been completed. Trotter was assessed at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre in Calgary to determine whether there are grounds to believe he was, at the time of the alleged offence, suffering from a mental disorder that would exempt him from criminal responsibility.

Trotter, who previously elected to be tried by a Court of King’s Bench judge and jury, is charged with single counts of second-degree murder and break and enter.

Police responded to a call Feb. 8 of last year that someone was screaming for help, and arrived at an apartment building in the 1200 block of 4 Avenue South to find 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 murder was over a property dispute. Police also recovered a weapon they believe was used to kill Lofthouse.

Trotter was scheduled to have a two-day preliminary hearing in October, but it was cancelled after the court ordered the assessment under Section 672 of the Criminal Code. A preliminary hearing is typically held to determine whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.

The matter is set to return to court March 22.

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