Family members of slain Calgary woman, Jessica Newman, burst out in tears and cheers in a courtroom after a judge denied bail to her alleged killer on Monday.
“They made the right decision, as far as I’m concerned and knowing what I know,” Lynda Abell, Newman’s aunt, said outside court after the judge’s decision. “He’ll always look over his shoulder, knowing he hasn’t made bail. We know we won’t run into him in the grocery store or Walmart.”
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Earl Wilson, heard arguments by counsel last Friday and made the ruling after adjourning the case for three days.
Details of the bail hearing and the reasons for the decision cannot be reported because of a publication ban.
“There’s two families going through this. We see it for ourselves,” Lisa Chiasson, Abell’s sister, said outside court. “We’re happy with the outcome today. Lots of tears and happiness.”
Crown prosecutor Shane Parker called the judge’s decision “decisive,” but said he would have been surprised had it gone any other way.
“Really, as I said to the family, it’s just a milestone along the way,” Parker added. “Next stop is a preliminary hearing when a judge will decide if there is enough evidence that he should go to trial.”
Newman was last seen March 10 at about 9:30 p.m. in the Forest Lawn area. Rubletz had picked her up from the Water Grill Steak House and Bar where she worked, and was expected to drive her home.
The pair was supposed to appear in court the following morning for a child custody hearing in relation to their son. But Newman never showed up, and she was soon reported missing.
Nearly two months later, on May 4, a work crew found Newman’s body in a ditch near Range Road 285 and Township Road 265 east of Airdrie.
Rubletz, 30, was later charged with second-degree murder in connection with her death.
Police ruled her death a homicide, but the cause of death has not been released.
After a “complex investigation” involving numerous interviews with family, friends, and individuals who knew Jessica, along with forensic evidence obtained from a vehicle Rubletz drove on a regular basis, police arrested him without incident from a southwest home and charged him.
He will be back in court next June 13 to begin the preliminary hearing.
