The family of the man accused of murdering a 20-year-old escort said they are troubled with the crumbling state of Edmonton's society after Chantel Robertson was found dead in a shallow grave.
A man who identified himself as the father of the accused offered a statement to the media outside of an Edmonton courtroom Wednesday.
He said it is a troubling time for his family and they feel for the victim's relatives.
"It hurts, what goes on in society," Mr. Barrett said. He refused to give his full name.
Matthew Todd Barrett, 24, is charged with first degree murder and indignity to a body after police discovered Robertson's body buried in a shallow grave in his backyard Monday.
Robertson had been missing since she was dropped off Saturday around 2:30 a.m. at the same house where she was eventually found dead.
Barrett made his first court appearance Wednesday, emerging for a short time before being led away.
The court was filled with supporters for the young man.
The Barrett family issued a statement to the media Wednesday, saying they are concerned for all families involved.
"The pain that we have experienced these past two days has been incomprehensible. We have been trying to come together as a family," it read. "We can not believe that something like this would ever happen to any family, let alone the Robertson family and our family."
Barrett did not have a lawyer at the time of his first appearance.
Friends of the slain woman remembered her Wednesday as a strong woman despite her short stature of 5'2.
"I'm traumatized, I can't believe it," Ivanka Arar said. "You have a friend you talk to, you go places with, and laugh and have phone calls to and not being there any more."
A young man who answered the door where Barrett shared a home with two other people declined to comment to CTV.
"What do you think you're here for," he said. "You're here to cause problems for both families. Just get out of here."
Barrett is scheduled to appear in court on July 9.
With files from David Ewasuk
