Man accused of murder in Yellowknife had little contact with law beforehand

A man accused of murder in the death of a 22-year-old Yellowknife woman had been leading a crime-free life until being charged with his first criminal offence only two months ago, according to publicly available court records.

Devon Larabie was arrested at his Lanky Court apartment the evening of May 6, according to the RCMP. The RCMP say Larabie was arrested shortly after they found the body of Breanna Menacho at the same housing complex.

Less than two months earlier, Larabie had been charged with robbery in connection with an alleged knifepoint robbery of the Circle K convenience store on March 17. The store is less than 100 metres from the Lanky Court apartment Larabie lived in.

According to court records, those charges robbery and carrying a weapon with the intention of committing a crime are the first criminal charges laid against Larabie.

He is listed as the victim of an assault with a weapon that's alleged to have occurred March 6. The person accused of brandishing a knife in that assault is Maiya Klengenberg, an 18-year-old who is Larabie's co-accused in the convenience store robbery.

In addition to the same charges laid against Larabie in connection with the alleged robbery, Klengenberg is accused of violating orders to stay away from Larabie's Lanky Court apartment unless she has permission from him and her bail supervisor to go there.

Released on bail

Both Larabie and Klengenberg were released on bail two days after they were arrested in connection with the robbery. There has been some commentary on social media about that decision, with most suggesting the justice of the peace who released Larabie should have known better at the time.

Speaking generally about bail hearings, defence lawyer Peter Harte noted that all accused are presumed innocent in the eyes of the law at that stage. With some exceptions, it is up to the prosecutor to show why it's necessary to keep a person accused of a crime in custody.

CBC asked Harte to comment on the likelihood of someone with no criminal record, charged with armed robbery where there were no injuries, being denied bail.

"The JPs [justices of the peace] work very hard to make sure they follow the rules set out in the criminal code, and somebody without a record and who has only an allegation that he committed a robbery with a knife it would be shocking to see that individual detained," said Harte. "That decision would be overturned if it was the subject of a bail review."

Harte said justices of the peace are required by law to show restraint when considering whether or not to release someone on bail.

They are required to release accused people unless the prosecutor can show the person is likely to commit another crime, likely to flee, or when releasing the person would undermine public confidence in the justice system.

Larabie made a brief court appearance via videoconferenceon Tuesday. The prosecutor added seven more names to the list of people Larabie is ordered to have no contact with, bringing the total to 10.

His next appearance is scheduled for June 16.