2 plead guilty to murder, 2 to fight charges in death of woman near Hinton
Warning: This story contains graphic details.
Four people who were charged in the 2019 homicide of a 25-year-old mother of three appeared in front of a judge Monday, with two taking responsibility for her death.
Kala Bajusz and Grayson Eashappie pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in an Edmonton courtroom in the killing of Nature Duperron.
Tyra Muskego and Buddy Underwood pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, robbery and kidnapping.
Duperron was kidnapped in Edmonton, robbed, beaten repeatedly in a vehicle, forcibly injected with fentanyl and left to die in the woods near Hinton on April 7, 2019, according to a statement of facts agreed to by Bajusz and Eashappie.
"At times Duperron would scream and cry, asking 'What did I do? What did I do? I don't deserve this.' Other times she would pass out. Her assailants were using methamphetamine throughout the journey," the document states.
An autopsy concluded that Duperron died from fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity, and court documents also noted blunt force trauma injuries including to her head.
Duperron's body was recovered from the woods close to Highway 16 near Hinton on April 23, 2019 after Bret Desjarlais took RCMP to her handcuffed body. He was the driver of the vehicle all six people were in, and was later granted immunity for cooperating with police and prosecutors.
Several of the people involved knew each other from the drug trade, the agreed statement of facts states.
The trial will continue on Tuesday.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Alison MacKinnon
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