Randall guilty of first-degree murder

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

Glenn Randall, on trial for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Brenda Walker, was found guilty of first-degree murder on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Following a two-week trial, defence lawyers Michael Bates and Jennifer Ruttan argued Randall should be convicted of the lesser offence of manslaughter as he claimed to have no memory of the incident and was too inebriated to form the intent necessary to commit first-degree murder.
Prosecutors Jim Sawa and Lori Chambers argued for the first-degree murder conviction, since Randall sent text messages of a concerning nature to his estranged girlfriend the night before, and was able to load and fire a .22 calibre weapon that resulted in the fatal shooting of Walker, 49, on Jan. 6, 2015 in Strathmore.
The 12-member jury began deliberations on Monday and delivered their guilty verdict shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
The trial began Oct. 22, nearly four years after Randall, now 56, forced his way into Walker’s downtown Strathmore home, told her he loved her and was sorry, then shot her twice in the head and four times in the torso. Walker managed to call 911 seconds before being shot, as heard in a chilling recording that captured her screams and Randall’s low wailing afterward.
Randall fled the scene but was seen by Walker’s neighbour, Graydon Pease, who also testified at the Calgary Court of Queen’s Bench during the trial’s first week. The jury of five women and seven men also heard testimony from Randall’s two sisters and his former girlfriend Laura Hicks who he called after the incident occurred. According to his sisters, Randall confessed to murdering Walker.
During his testimony last week, Randall told the court he had too much alcohol and claimed he had no memory of killing Walker, speaking with his siblings, his actions afterwards, or being questioned for four-and-a-half hours by Strathmore RCMP. While he said he couldn’t recall the incident, he agreed it was his voice on the 911 recording and admitted to killing Walker.
A retired forensic toxicologist, Graham Jones also said breathalyser results, taken from Randall shortly after Walker lost her life, showed he could have been at more than double the legal driving limit when he fatally shot Walker.
During his testimony, Randall said his last memory on the evening of Jan. 5, 2015 was snuggling his cat Minimix and grabbing his medicine bag – Randall had suffered from various health issues and was on at least five pills a day. Strathmore RCMP seized no less than 12 different medications from his home in early 2015. While he remembers speaking with his sisters on the phone, he stated he had no memory of the context, and told the jury his next memory was fuelling up at a gas station in Bassano – skipping over the incident. Following that, he remembers being at the RCMP detachment in Strathmore but can’t remember any conversations or meeting RCMP officers.
Walker and Randall’s nine-month relationship ended in December 2014 just weeks before Walker’s death, as a result of Randall’s continued friendship with his ex-girlfriend Hicks.
During his testimony, Randall described his relationship with Walker as good but agreed it wasn’t without its flaws. When cross-examined by Chambers, the jury was made aware of text messages between the two on the night of Jan. 5, 2015 after he returned home from the funeral of a friend’s wife and had several glasses of red wine. The text messages revealed he had told Walker to stay away from him, that he was not a good person and not the person she thought he was. The last text message was sent at 11:22 p.m. Randall also told the court he felt sad and broken-hearted after seeing Walker spend time with another man at the Strathmore King Eddy Pub days before, and that he still loved her.
Randall broke down when defence lawyer Bates asked him whether he intended to kill Walker and wanted her dead to which he replied “no.”
“Brenda was beautiful inside and out, she was wonderful, caring and compassionate,” Randall said last week. “We loved each other. She was my friend. I never wanted her gone. I can’t understand it. I don’t know how this happened. It just doesn’t make sense.”
The mandatory sentencing for first-degree murder is imprisonment for life with no chance of parole for 25 years.
“Before being sentenced, Mr. Randall again accepted responsibility for the death of Ms. Walker,” said Defence Attorney Michael Bates in an email. “While this is not the verdict he sought, Mr. Randall respects the court process and does not have any further public comment at this time about the tragic consequences of his actions.”