Charges laid in murder of Calgary woman Judy Maerz – against a previously convicted killer

Calgary police have laid charges in connection with last month's murder of Judy Maerz, against a man previously convicted of a 2009 homicide.

The 58-year-old Calgarian's body was discovered burned in Deerfoot Athletic Park by a passerby just after 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 16.

She was identified and her death was deemed a homicide following an autopsy the next day.

In the aftermath, police put out the call for dash-cam footage and tips.

On Thursday, police said they have charged 48-year-old Christopher Ward Dunlop with second-degree murder and indignity to a body.

Dunlop's arrest was made the day before, during the execution of a search warrant on a residence in the 300 block of Eldorado Place N.E.

In a release, police said, "It is believed that the victim and accused were unknown to each other and had met the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. It is alleged that Maerz was picked up by the accused, when she was driven to Deerfoot Athletic Park and ultimately killed."

Police confirm the Christopher Ward Dunlop charged in connection with Maerz's murder is the same Christopher Ward Dunlop convicted in the 2009 homicide of Laura Furlan.

Christopher Ward Dunlop. (FILE)

Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson called Maerz's slaying "a very public and extremely disturbing murder."

"The victim in this case was targeted by someone unknown to her, and we recognize these types of cases have an enormous impact on the sense of safety for Calgarians," he said.

"Over the past two weeks, our investigators worked tirelessly to identify the suspect and secure key evidence, which led to these charges."

Dunlop is next scheduled to appear in court March 6.

Meanwhile, anyone who still has information on this incident and has not spoken to investigators is asked to call Calgary police directly at 403-266-1234 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or calgarycrimestoppers.org, or through the P3 Tips app.

(With files from Mark Villani)