Calgary man guilty of murdering sex trade worker, 2nd woman he's killed in 16 years
Christopher Dunlop, who killed Laura Furlan in 2009, now found guilty of murdering Judy Maerz
When Christopher Dunlop chose a vulnerable street sex worker to kill, he may have banked on the idea that police wouldn't thoroughly investigate her death, but that theory "was proved wrong," a Calgary judge noted Monday in his conviction decision.
On Monday, Dunlop, 50, was found guilty of first-degree murder for the 2023 death of Judy Maerz, 58, who was discovered in the Deerfoot Athletic Park, butchered and burned.
Monday's ruling marks the second time Dunlop has been caught and convicted of killing a vulnerable sex worker in Calgary.
In 2022, Dunlop finished serving a 13-year sentence after pleading guilty of manslaughter in the 2009 death of Laura Furlan, a woman he strangled in the Deerfoot Athletic Park before dumping her body in Fish Creek Park.
Police later determined that Dunlop had searched online for "disposing a body using fire."
After he strangled Furlan in 2009, Dunlop told undercover officers that he'd set out the night of the killing "looking for someone who wouldn't be missed," someone he could "f–k up."
In this case, prosecutors argue Dunlop has a "clear animus" toward sex trade workers and chose his second victim for the same reasons as his first.
But while "[Dunlop's] actions suggest he does have a deep animus toward street sex workers," Feasby noted the killer's choice of victim may have been more about his belief that his chances of getting caught were lessened.
"Mr. Dunlop's possible calculation that there would not be a robust investigation of the death of a street sex worker in the present case was proved wrong," said Feasby.
'Uncovering the truth'
The judge noted that the work done by Calgary police officers "was thorough and reflects a significant investment of resources and commitment to uncovering the truth."
"CPS investigated the murder of Ms. Maerz with the same energy and determination that they would the murder of any other Calgarian," said the judge.
"And that is as it should be."
Feasby noted that he did not have to rely on Dunlop's previous statements to police about sex trade workers to find the two-time killer guilty of murder.
Maerz's body was found in the park on Feb. 16, 2023. She had been stabbed 79 times and her throat was sliced open.
"[Maerz's] injuries were far more than what was necessary to kill her," said Feasby.
"The real question is who murdered Ms. Maerz not whether she was murdered."
Some of the most "powerful evidence," said Feasby, was Dunlop's blood found in melting snow near Maerz's body on the morning her remains were discovered in the park.
Prosecutors argued Maerz "fought for her life" causing injuries to her attacker who left blood behind in the snow.
Injured finger
Footage from retail outlets show that Dunlop suffered an injury to his finger between the afternoon of Feb. 15 and the afternoon of Feb. 16.
The judge also pointed to Maerz's purse, discovered in Dunlop's wife's SUV, in the hours after she was killed.
That SUV is the same vehicle Dunlop was found to have used when he picked up his victim and took her to the Deerfoot Athletic Park.
Feasby also considered CCTV camera footage, cellphone tower evidence and data from the vehicles used in the homicide to reach the "inescapable" conclusion that "Mr. Dunlop killed Ms. Maerz."
A 'conscious and calculated choice'
Next, Feasby considered whether Dunlop was guilty of first- or second-degree murder.
The judge noted that when he set out in the early morning hours of the murder, Dunlop left his cellphone at home, "consistent with not wanting his movements to be known."
The killer also switched into his wife's "less distinctive" SUV, possibly a lesson learned after he killed Furlan. In that case, two witnesses described seeing Dunlop's recognizable orange pickup truck at the scene.
The use of his wife's SUV was a "conscious and calculated choice to advance his objective," noted Feasby.
The judge also pointed out that Dunlop brought both a knife and gasoline with him that night and while there could have been other reasons for carrying those items, Feasby noted that the evidence, when considered in its totality, proved beyond a reasonable doubt that "Mr. Dunlop's murder of Ms. Maerz was planned and deliberate."
'Violent and non-consensual' sex
It's clear Dunlop "took steps to make his movements harder to track" and had a "clear intent to conceal his actions," said Feasby.
Prosecutors Hyatt Mograbee and Greg Piper argued that Dunlop could be convicted of first-degree murder based on planning and deliberation and/or based on the fact that the murder was committed in the course of a sexual assault.
In his final assessment of the evidence, Feasby found that there was sexual activity between Dunlop and his victim which was "violent and non-consensual."
Maerz was discovered on her back, with her pants down and her genitals exposed. Feasby found that Dunlop burned Maerz's body to get rid of his DNA
"The sexual activity formed part of the same transaction as the murder," said the judge.
On top of the murder conviction, Dunlop was also found guilty of indignity to a body.
Feasby will hear sentencing arguments from prosecutors and defence lawyer Allan Fay later this month.
A first-degree murder conviction comes with an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.
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