Historical double-murder suspect to stand trial in the fall of 2022, more than 28 years after shooting deaths of two Calgary men - Calgary Herald

Leonard Brian Cochrane was arrested at his residence last December after cold case investigators reopened the case in 2020

Author of the article:

Kevin Martin

Leonard Brian Cochrane of Calgary is charged with killing two men on July 11, 1994. Photo by Calgary Police Service

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Defence lawyer David Roper appeared in Court of Queen’s Bench on Friday on behalf of trial counsel Balfour Der to set a three-week jury trial beginning Nov. 21, 2022.

“The plea is not guilty and we are seeking to set a judge and jury trial,” Roper told Justice Richard Neufeld.

He said the earliest dates provided to Der and Crown prosecutors Carla MacPhail and James Thomas that all parties could accommodate were Nov. 21 to Dec. 9, 2022.

Cochrane, 51, faces two charges of first-degree murder in the July 11, 1994, deaths of Barry Christian Buchart, 26, and Trevor Thomas Deakins, 25.

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Calgary police investigate the killings of Barry Christian Buchart and Trevor Thomas Deakins at a fourplex on July 11, 1994. Photo by Postmedia archive

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On Aug. 10, Neufeld denied Der’s application to have Cochrane released on bail pending trial, finding the lawyer had failed to establish the accused was a suitable candidate for judicial interim release.

In almost all bail applications, the onus is on the Crown to establish why an accused should remain detained, but that shifts to the defence if an accused is charged with murder.

At Der’s request, Neufeld imposed a publication ban on the submissions and evidence in the bail hearing.

Cochrane was arrested at his residence in the 100 block of Queen Isabella Close S.E. last December after cold case investigators reopened the case in 2020 using forensic evidence collected in 1994 to focus on a person of interest.

At the time, police said scientific advancements aided in them making an arrest.

“There have been significant advancements in forensic technology since this double homicide occurred,” Staff Sgt. Colin Chisholm of the Calgary police homicide unit said in a statement.

When Cochrane was arrested, police said they were still looking for a second suspect, but no one else has been charged in the homicide.

KMartin@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @KMartinCourts

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Historical double-murder suspect to stand trial in the fall of 2022, more than 28 years after shooting deaths of two Calgary men - Calgary Herald
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