The man charged in the death of a 25-year-old woman will be tried by a judge and jury in Red Deer’s Court of Queen’s Bench.
Lyndon William Grant Olsen, 34, was arrested in February and charged with manslaughter using a firearm after a 25-year-old woman died in hospital on Feb. 1st.
He appeared in Red Deer’s Provincial Court via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre on Wednesday morning.
His lawyer, Maurice Collard, said Olsen was electing to have his case heard in the Court of Queen’s Bench by a judge and jury.
Olsen’s charges stem after Red Deer RCMP responded to a report of shots having been fired in the area of a townhouse complex located near the intersection of 43rd St. and 54th Ave. at 6:13 a.m. Feb. 1st.
A short time later, police received a report of a pickup truck having collided with a power pole on 42nd St. leading up to the hospital. Police have confirmed the two crime scenes on that morning were linked to the homicide.
Officials said minutes after a report of shots fired on Feb. 1st in the area of 43rd St. and 54th Ave., RCMP located an injured woman in a vehicle near the hospital.
The woman was taken to hospital, where she later died of her injuries. The autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Calgary on Feb. 2nd determined that the death of the 25-year-old woman was a homicide.
Olsen was arrested on Monday shortly after 10 a.m. in the area of 39th St. and 43rd Ave. after a minor collision between the vehicle he was a passenger in and a police vehicle.
Meanwhile, Olsen does have a history with Red Deer police.
On Dec. 12th, 2016, RCMP issued a warrant for Olsen, a third suspect in the armed robbery at Bell Fever Lounge at 4620 50th St. on Nov. 23rd, 2015, after the investigation revealed that a third man drove the truck the suspects fled in.
During the course of the ongoing investigation, Red Deer RCMP also identified Olsen as a suspect in an attempted armed robbery at Post Time Lounge on Nov. 23, 2015. That attempt failed, as the lounge was closed when two armed men were caught on surveillance cameras trying to enter the building.
Olsen was arrested regarding these matters on Feb. 11, 2016. He was charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, two counts of robbery using a firearm, two counts of extortion using a firearm, disguise with intent, two counts of failing to comply with recognizance and possession of stolen property over $5,000.
Olsen remains in custody. He will appear in Red Deer’s Court of Queen’s Bench June 5th to have trial dates set.
efawcett@reddeerexpress.com
