Murder trial hears from convicted killer's wife who led police to key evidence in sex worker homicide
Christopher Dunlop killed Laura Furlan in 2009. He's now on trial, accused of murdering Judy Maerz
It was an emotional day in a Calgary courtroom as the wife of a man accused of killing a second sex trade worker testified at his first-degree murder trial, telling the judge that she led police to a key piece of evidence — the victim's purse.
The courtroom gallery was full as Christopher Dunlop's wife April, who was called by prosecutors Hyatt Mograbee and Greg Piper, took the stand on Thursday.
The 54-year-old was visibly upset and shaken at times throughout her testimony.
April made it clear after court she wasn't present in support of her former spouse and confirmed they are no longer together.
"Our hearts go out to the victims and their families," April said.
"This has been devastating for our whole family and we just want to heal and move forward."
In 2009, Dunlop fatally strangled Laura Furlan and then dumped her body in Fish Creek Park. He was released from prison in 2020 with his manslaughter sentence expiring in 2022, meaning he was no longer under court-ordered conditions.
In 2023, Dunlop is accused of picking up Judy Maerz for sex, taking her to the Deerfoot Athletic Park where prosecutors say he fatally stabbed her before setting her body on fire.
The Crown has already presented CCTV and cellphone evidence supporting its theory that Dunlop drove his truck to the Peter Lougheed hospital, switched into his wife's RAV4, then picked up Maerz on the Forest Lawn prostitution stroll and took her to Deerfoot Athletic Park.
Calgary police crime analyst Mark Ruggieri presented video evidence showing a vehicle entering the park at 3:03 a.m. and leaving at 3:12 a.m.
April finds car open, purse inside
Prosecutors allege in those nine minutes, Dunlop fatally stabbed Maerz 79 times.
Dunlop is then accused of driving his wife's SUV back to the hospital and getting back into his truck.
Ruggieri then presented further CCTV footage that the Crown says shows Dunlop's truck being tracked from the hospital to the Deerfoot Athletic Park, arriving at 3:32 a.m.
During the two minutes the truck was at the park, another CCTV camera captured a large flash of light which the Crown alleges is Maerz's body being set on fire after it was doused in gasoline.
'It didn't make sense'
April testified that when she finished her shift at the hospital, she walked to her car to find the door ajar.
Then she noticed a purse on the dash and a bag of empty bottles in another bag on the passenger side floor.
April testified that she was panicked at first, trying to make sense of what she'd found.
There was no damage and nothing missing from her SUV. April said she believed she might have left her vehicle open and a homeless person may have used her car to sleep in.
"A lot of people come to the hospital to sleep when they're cold," April said.
"I felt pretty violated, pretty shook up … It didn't make sense that someone didn't rummage through, I couldn't make sense of it."
911 call played
April checked the purse and found a government-issued ID for a woman in her 50s, a bus pass and some Walmart gift cards. She also found a little bottle of THC.
She testified that she threw out the purse's contents but decided to keep the purse to donate. April said she tossed it into a donation pile in her garage.
Meanwhile, Dana Krupp was about to make a "horrific" discovery.
Justice Colin Feasby heard testimony from Krupp, earlier this week.
Krupp testified that around 10:30 a.m. on the morning of February 16, 2023, she arrived at the Deerfoot Athletic Park with three dogs.
'Tell me this isn't real'
Almost immediately she testified that she spotted Maerz's butchered, charred body.
"It was the most horrific thing I've ever seen," Krupp said. "It didn't look like a real person."
"Her face was burned, her hands were burned, her feet were burned … please somebody tell me this isn't real."
Krupp testified that she rounded up her dogs, got them back into her car and immediately called 911.
That call was played in court.
"I hope it's just a stunt," she told the operator. "I'm hoping it's a mannequin … I'm really hoping it's not a body."
'Here we go again'
Police arrived and began collecting evidence. Their smoking gun came back in the form of blood at the scene belonging to a man.
Within two weeks, the RCMP lab confirmed the blood belonged to Christopher Dunlop, whose DNA was in the system after his previous conviction for the manslaughter of Laura Furlan.
On March 1, 2023, the tactical team arrived, busting down Dunlop's door.
"The tac-team had come and tackled me," said April, crying.
She was handcuffed until homicide detectives showed up and removed the cuffs.
Retired homicide detective Reagan Hossack testified earlier this week that when police were in the former couple's home to execute the search and arrest warrants, she told April that her husband was a suspect in a murder investigation.
Hossack testified that April sat at her kitchen table and said, "Here we go again."
April answered detectives' questions, eventually telling them about the night of the suspected vehicle break-in. She told them about the purse. Then she took them to it.
Forensic testing later confirmed Maerz's DNA was on the purse.
On Thursday afternoon, prosecutors Mograbee and Piper finished calling evidence. Defence lawyer Allan Fay told Justice Colin Feasby he would not be calling any witnesses.
Closing arguments are set to take place next week.
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