Accused killer back in court
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on August 15, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com A 60-year-old Lethbridge man accused of stabbing his wife to death right after Christmas, will be back in court later this month after his lawyer and the Crown prosecutor have had more time to discuss the case.The matter for David Albert Dragland was in Lethbridge Court of King’s Bench Monday, but it was addressed only briefly before an agent for accused’s lawyer requested an adjournment to Aug. 28. Lethbridge lawyer Miranda Hlady told court defence was simply waiting for the Crown to finish preparing an agreed statement of facts before taking the next step.
Dragland, who has elected to be tried by King’s Bench judge without a jury or preliminary hearing, is charged with one count of first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory lifetime prison sentence with parole eligibility after 25 years.
At about 11 p.m. on Dec. 27 police responded to a disturbance involving a man and woman at a home in the 2500 block of 13 Avenue North. When police arrived a man walked out of the home and was arrested without incident.
Police found a critically injured woman inside the home and began First Aid until EMS arrived and took over. The 59-year-old victim, identified as Shelley Dragland, sustained multiple stab wounds and died at the scene.
Police determined the man and woman had been together in the home when the man grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed the victim several times. Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter 4
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