Two more charged in Chipman homicide
New first-degree murder charge laid against Devon Mark Hood, 26, and Matthew David LeBlanc, 29, of Fredericton, in January 2022 killing of Brandon Patrick Donelan
The RCMP filed a new joint charge against two Fredericton men in a January 2022 murder in the Chipman area, bringing the total number of defendants in the case to four.
An officer with the RCMP’s major crime unit laid a joint charge of first-degree murder in Fredericton provincial court Wednesday against Devon Mark Hood, 26, and Matthew David LeBlanc, 29, both of Fredericton.
The charge alleges they took part in the killing of Brandon Patrick Donelan in the Chipman area on Jan. 28, 2022.
Also charged with first-degree murder in Donelan’s death are Joshua John McIsaac, 33, formerly of Penniac, and Erica Blyth, 40, of Wasson Road in Newcastle Creek near Chipman.
They face a joint charge as well, though it’s a separate one from the information filed with the court Wednesday against Hood and LeBlanc.
The latter two defendants appeared in court by telephone Wednesday morning from Dorchester Penitentiary, where they’re serving unrelated sentences.
McIsaac is serving a federal sentence in Dorchester as well.
Crown prosecutor Darlene Blunston asked the court to impose a non-communication order between Hood and LeBlanc, and she also asked they be prohibited from communicating with McIsaac and Blyth as well.
Judge Cameron Gunn issued those orders.
The Criminal Code of Canada directs that in murder cases, defendants are automatically remanded without a bail hearing. However, they can apply for a bail hearing in the Court of King’s Bench if they so choose.
After consulting with duty counsel Angèle Normand, Hood and LeBlanc, in separate proceedings Wednesday morning, told court they needed to apply for legal aid.
Gunn set their matters over Wednesday to Oct. 25 to give them a chance to retain legal counsel.
With murder cases, there’s only mode of trial open to defendants: a superior court trial with a judge and jury, and in New Brunswick, that would be in the Court of King’s Bench.
The next step in the process is to schedule a preliminary inquiry in provincial court to determine if there’s sufficient evidence to set the charge over for trial at the higher level of court.
A preliminary inquiry for Blyth and McIsaac had been scheduled for April 2024. However, the Crown filed a directed indictment with the provincial court this week on that prosecution, meaning the case will skip the preliminary-inquiry phase and proceed directly to a jury trial, to be scheduled at a later time.
RCMP officers arrested Blyth for murder at her Newcastle Creek home June 21 when they attended the residence to execute a search warrant.
Hood was also arrested at that location at that time, and he was returned to the Dorchester prison for a parole violation.
He also saw six months added onto that sentence for recent convictions for fleeing from police in a vehicle in June and being unlawfully at large from his prison sentence.
LeBlanc was sentenced in April to almost three years in prison for possession of meth for the purpose of trafficking and weapons offences, among other crimes.
The Mounties launched a major search effort in the Grand Lake area after Donelan, 27, of Minto, was reported as missing Jan. 30, 2022. His body was found along a snowmobile trail two months later on March 31, 2022.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.
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