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Trial set for Beaumont man accused of killing his wife

Jury trial has been set for December, 2025, in Wetaskiwin
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Beaumont, Alta., resident Kenneth Joseph Skelly, 45, accused of the second degree murder of his common-law spouse, now has a trial date. 

The jury trial is set for Dec. 1 to 12, 2025, at the Wetaskiwin Court of King's Bench. 

A pre-trial conference was scheduled for Dec. 10, 2024, but was adjourned several times. Skelly now has a court date on March 24, 2025 in Wetaskiwin.

Treasa Lynn Oberly, 40, was last seen on July 14, 2023. 

Search and rescue and community volunteers conducted ground searches but were unsuccessful. 

On July 24, RCMP located her remains after the accused's father, Joseph Donald Skelly, confessed to knowing where Oberly’s remains were and led police to themSeveral days later, he confessed to having dismembered, burned, and disposed of her remains.

Kenneth was subsequently charged with the second degree murder of Oberly.

Joseph, a retired butcher, was originally sentenced to two years of house arrest, however, the sentence was overturned by the Alberta Court of Appeal on Oct. 24, 2024, and he is now serving three years in jail.

The judge who handed down the first sentence, Justice J.S. Little, noted in his written decision that Joseph's confession "assisted in providing reasonable and probable grounds for the arrest of his son Kenneth" and that the "extent of the damage (Joseph) caused prevented investigators from determining Ms. Oberly’s cause of death."

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Emily Jaycox

About the Author: Emily Jaycox

I'm a reporter for Ponoka News and have lived in Ponoka since 2015.
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