A preliminary investigation has commenced in Moncton for two individuals charged with the homicide of Melissa Price earlier this year. Leandra Beaulieu, aged 37, and Devlin O’Blenis, aged 36, are jointly accused of second-degree murder in relation to the death of the 39-year-old Price, whose body was discovered in a refuse container on a residential Moncton street on February 15.
The purpose of the preliminary inquiry is to assess the available evidence for potential trial proceedings and is expected to span five days. During the preliminary inquiry at Moncton provincial court, Crown prosecutor Stephen Holt submitted a USB containing videos and a photo booklet to provincial court Judge Brigitte Volpé on Monday.
The evidence presented is currently subject to a publication ban until the conclusion of the trial or the discharge of Beaulieu and O’Blenis if the case does not proceed to trial. Although both accused had initially waived their right to a preliminary inquiry, the Crown has opted to pursue one. Holt emphasized the Crown’s intention to record witness testimonies for the record.
At the onset of the hearing, Holt informed Volpé that the Crown encountered difficulties in locating eight intended witnesses for the preliminary inquiry. Subsequently, Volpé issued warrants for all eight individuals. Following the lunch recess, Holt disclosed that two witnesses were successfully located by the police and testified in the afternoon session, with another witness providing testimony in the morning.
Initially facing separate first-degree murder charges, Beaulieu and O’Blenis had their charges reduced to a joint second-degree murder charge in May. Additionally, a third individual, Joshua Martin, is charged with being an accessory after the fact and with disrespect to a human body in connection to the case.
The alleged murder of Price occurred on February 14, the day before her body was discovered. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have not disclosed further details regarding the circumstances of Price’s death or her relationship with the accused. Several members of Price’s family, including her parents Pat and Peter Price, were present on the first day of the preliminary inquiry.
During the hearing, Beaulieu and O’Blenis were seated in the prisoner’s box alongside two sheriffs. The pair engaged in whispered conversations and observed the gallery intermittently throughout the proceedings.
