Calgary man makes first court appearance

A Calgary man formally charged yesterday in the murder of a Calgary couple and their five-year old grandson made his first court appearance today. Douglas Garland is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Alvin and Kathyrn Liknes and one count of second-degree murder in the death of Nathan O’Brien.

Douglas Garland’s appearance Wednesday morning was a brief one. He wore a blue jail jumpsuit and appeared via video link in front of a packed public gallery.

The case has been held over until August 14th so that evidence can be disclosed to the defence.

The bodies of the victims have yet to be found but Calgary police say they have evidence of their deaths.

And the crown is confident they can still move forward with their case.

Crown Prosecutor Shane Parker: “It’s obviously more challenging because bodies provide a whole lot of evidence for a jury. They provide a whole lot of evidence from a forensics standpoint for the police and without that, we’re missing a few bullets. But that being said, I’ve been the advisory to the Crown from the beginning. I’m familiar with the evidence and confident we can make out the elements of the offence beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Police have yet to comment on the motivation for the killings. There are reports that Alvin Liknes and Douglas Garland had a business relationship. But it soured some years ago.