Alberta’s top court denied the appeal of an Airdrie man, Michael Antony Roebuck, who was found guilty of first-degree murder on Dec. 1, 2022.
According to media reports, the three-member Alberta Court of Appeal panel found no errors on Wednesday May 1 in the previous court decision.
After his two-week, judge-alone trial took place in October 2022, Roebuck was sentenced to life in prison for causing the death of his neighbour, Daniel McDonald, on Sept. 7, 2019, by shooting him twice on his driveway.
Roebuck and Macdonald were neighbours in the Canals community of Airdrie. They had originally gotten along as friends, but their relationship soured after they entered into a cannabis operation together. According to testimony provided during the trial, Macdonald had left their cannabis operation, stating he no longer wanted to be involved in it.
Roebuck accused Macdonald of stealing marijuana and $30,000 from him, though he wasn't able to provide evidence of that claim during the trial.
Justice Michele Hollins' ruling and testimony provided during the trial indicated that Macdonald's murder came shortly after a physical altercation between him and Roebuck at a gas station near their street on Sept. 7, 2019. After the altercation, Roebuck returned home, retrieved his shotgun, and waited for Macdonald to come home before confronting him in his driveway, where he shot him twice from close range.
A first-degree murder charge brings a life sentence, with no chance of parole for 25 years. Roebuck is currently 61 or 62 years old.
With notes from Scott Strasser /Airdrie City View.
