Charges against a Medicine Hat man have officially been upgraded to second degree murder in connection with the death of a 23-year-old woman.
34-year-old Jerrison Stopanski was originally charged with being an accessory after the fact, but those charges were upgraded in court on Thursday.
Police in the case say they now have enough DNA evidence to elevate the charges against Stopanski.
Stopanski appeared via CCTV from the Calgary Remand Centre on Thursday to hear the charges against him.
Amy Lenore Lewis has not been seen since June 11. Her car was found three days later in the parking lot of a Medicine Hat hotel.
Police have not located Lewis and strongly believe she is dead.
Several of Lewis’ friends and family members were in court and say the upgraded charges are helping many of them come to grips with her death.
“This brings an element of closure to some of the family members. We may not expect to see Amy alive,’ said Lewis’ aunt, Sylvia Storm.
Investigators are not saying what type of DNA evidence they have or where they found it.
Stopanski remains in custody and is expected back in court on August 2.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Medicine Hat Police Service at 403-529-8481 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
