The family of a young woman murdered last week was in a Calgary courtroom for the first appearance of the man accused in her death.
Dawns Babtiste, 31, was found dead in a northeast yard on Thursday afternoon and police believe she had been there for about 36 hours before she was found by a passerby.
Police released surveillance images from LRT cameras and arrested a man on Saturday.
Curtis Jade Tyson Healy, 25, was charged on Monday with first-degree murder in connection to Baptiste’s death.
Police say Baptiste was sexually assaulted before her death and believe the pair met just hours before she died.
Healy appeared in a Calgary courtroom via CCTV on Tuesday and does not yet have a lawyer.
Babtiste’s brother Alex was in court for the proceedings and says he had never seen the suspect before today.
“I wanted to snap but it’s not in me to be doing that. I’m really heartbroken because I’m thinking about my sister and how this guy would sickly turn around and do that to my sister,” said Alex.
He says his sister was in the process of getting her life together and was excited about starting a new job.
The case has been put over and Healy will be back in court on February 24, 2015.
A wake for Dawns Baptiste is planned for Wednesday on the Samson Cree Nation south of Wetaskiwin and a funeral will be held on Thursday.
