Fredericton police accept recommendations after ‘evidentiary issue’ leads to stayed murder charges

The Fredericton Police Force is accepting recommendations made in an independent review into how it handles major crime files.

The Fredericton Police Force is accepting all the recommendations made following an independent review into how it handles major crime files, including homicides.

Police Chief Gary Forward ordered the review in June, when five people accused of the murders of Corey Markey and Brandon Patrick Donelan were released following a stay of proceedings in court.

At the time, Forward said the criminal matter related to Markey’s 2021 death received a stay of proceedings due to an “error initiated, discovered and subsequently reported to the Crown by the Fredericton Police Force,” calling it an “insurmountable evidentiary issue.”

The criminal case related to Donelan’s 2022 death also received a stay of proceedings for similar reasons.

• Download the CTV News App for breaking news alerts and video on all the top stories

Ian D. Scott, an Ontario-based lawyer, investigator and policing expert, and retired RCMP inspector Andrea Gallant interviewed senior command and the victims’ families for the months-long review. They also analyzed 63 major crime and high-risk files investigated between 2021 and 2025.

They found inconsistencies in the application of case management principles and the use of command structure, as well as gaps in supervisory oversight, resulting in 19 recommendations.

The recommendations in the report address the following areas:

• training
• oversight
• file management
• documentation
• major crime staffing and resources

Scott also made recommendations related to the evidentiary issue that prompted the review, but those recommendations are not included in the report because “disclosure would conflict with the rules of the Canada Evidence Act.”

“The impact upon the Fredericton community, and in particular the families of Corey Markey and Brandon Donelan, cannot be adequately expressed in words when these murder charges were stayed,” said Scott.

“The entry of the stay shook public confidence in the criminal justice system and deprived everyone, especially the family members, of a public trial. It is my expectation that Chief Forward will oversee the timely completion of all the recommendations made in this report to ensure this situation never repeats itself.”

Forward says the force is committed to adopting all the recommendations, with the first priority being implementing a process that provides oversight to ensure investigations are completed in a timely manner.

“We regret the pain our error has caused the Markey and Donelan families and take full responsibility for how this has affected public confidence in our force and the criminal justice system,” said Forward on Friday.

“While we cannot undo the wrong, we are fully committed to learning from it and ensuring it never happens again. Working with our members and partners, we will implement these recommendations with a focus on transparency, accountability, and timely communication.”

No criminal or disciplinary charges were recommended as a result of the review.

While the review found some issues, overall it said the Fredericton Police Force’s major crime investigations are generally well-managed, with officers and staff who are professional and “deeply committed to their public safety mandate.”

Forward said he will formally report on progress through regular meetings of the City of Fredericton’s Public Safety Committee and to the New Brunswick Department of Justice and Public Safety’s Policing Standards Division through its regular annual audit process.

Following Friday’s release of the review, Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers said city councillors were committed to making sure all 19 recommendations were implemented in a timely manner by police.

“We’re looking forward to regular updates that will come to us from the public safety committee,” said Rogers to reporters, adding that she has confidence in Chief Forward and the force’s major crimes unit.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.