CREMONA - A man originally charged with second-degree murder in the death of a Cremona-area woman in 2021 will be sentenced in November on lesser charges of aggravated assault and arson.
Philip Jeffrey Toner entered pleas to the charges before Judge Glen Poelman in Calgary Court of King’s Bench on Aug. 27.
His sentencing date of Nov. 15 was set during a Sept. 13 court appearance.
Toner originally faced charges of second-degree murder, arson damage property, and interfering with a dead body in the May 2021 death of Brenda Ware.
The murder and interfering with a dead body charges have been withdrawn.
Last seen in Didsbury on May 4, 2021, Brenda Ware’s body was found two days later along Highway 93 in the Kootenay National Park about 50 kilometres northeast of Radium, B.C.
Ware, 35, lived near Cremona and worked as a hairstylist in Sundre.
Toner was arrested in B.C. and charged on May 11, 2021.
Last month his trial date was set for Nov. 25-28 in Calgary Court of King’s Bench.
The change of plea was reportedly arranged by prosecutors and defence after medical examiners failed to determine the cause of Ware’s death.
Aggravated assault and arson each carry sentences of imprisonment for terms not exceeding 14 years.
