By Patrick Burles - Lethbridge News Now

Accused pleads guilty at outset of triple murder trial in Lethbridge

Jan 8, 2018 | 12:10 PM

LETHBRIDGE – A four-week triple homicide trial that was set to begin Monday, Jan. 8, has been avoided, as the accused entered guilty pleas to three counts of second degree murder.

Austin Lane Vielle admitted to the murders of Clarissa Michelle English, Dakota Julius English and Kyle Osborn Devine on Apr. 27, 2015.

As part of an agreed statement of facts provided to the court by the Crown and defence, it was revealed Vielle had been friends with all three victims, and had been observed with Dakota in the early morning hours of Apr. 27.

Shortly before 1 a.m., a taxi cab picked Vielle and Dakota up at a residence – where Dakota lived with his sister, Clarissa, and her boyfriend, Kyle – along McGill Boulevard West. The driver took them to several locations around Lethbridge to purchase alcohol and withdraw cash from ATMs.

At 2:05 that same morning, Lethbridge Police officers responded to a panic alarm at the Macs store in Columbia Boulevard West. The employee triggered the alarm because two males had become agitated when he wouldn’t sell them cigarettes because they didn’t have identification. Both individuals fled the scene before officers arrived, however, they were later identified as Vielle and Dakota using the store’s video surveillance system.

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From that point it’s not entirely clear what happened, but after returning to Dakota’s home, Vielle attacked the three victims, stabbing them repeatedly. Dakota sustained 57 stab or cut wounds to his neck, face, head and upper extremities and abdomen. Kyle suffered 84 stab and cut wounds to his neck, face, chest and upper extremities and abdomen. Clarissa was stabbed or cut 103 times with injuries to her face, neck, abdomen, extremities and pelvis.

Autopsies performed on the three victims determined that they had high blood alcohol levels.

Vielle said he was intoxicated at the time and has no recollection of what happened.

According to the Canadian Press, a sentence of life with no chance of parole for 20 years will be recommended as part of the plea.

More to come