2026 ALBERTA HOMICIDE CONFERENCE
November 16-18, 2026
Hosted by the RCMP
Co-hosted by the Edmonton Police Service
Details to follow
Registration, Presenters & Agenda
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COMING SOON
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About
The Alberta Homicide Conference brings together homicide and major crimes investigators, intelligence analysts, forensic specialists, Crown prosecutors, and policing partners from across the province for collaborative and informative professional development event.
This conference provides a unique opportunity for attendees to examine a series of significant homicide case studies presented by the investigators directly involved in the investigations. Through detailed presentations and facilitated discussions, participants will gain insight into investigative strategies, forensic advancement, interviewing techniques, interagency collaboration, and the lessons learned from complex and high-profile cases.
Designed to promote knowledge sharing and strengthen investigative excellence, the conference encourages open dialogue, networking, and the exchange of best practices among professionals dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of homicide offences.
Whether exploring emerging trends, reviewing successful investigative approaches, or discussing the challenges encountered throughout major case investigations, the Alberta Homicide Conference serves as an important forum for learning, collaboration, and the continued advancement of homicide investigations across Canada. Join us at the Sandman Signature Edmonton Downtown November 16-18, 2026.
Registration
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Conference Fee: $600.00 CA.
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Registration deadlines – October 15, 2026
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Cancellation/Refund information – There will be no cancellation or refunds after the closing date of October 15, 2026
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To Register please use the following link: 2026 Alberta Homicide Conference Registration – Fill out form
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Email must originate from police and/or other government agencies.
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Attendee agencies will be invoiced after October 15, 2026.
Topics Include
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Organized crime & murder-for-hire
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Cold case homicides
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Unidentified human remains files
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Investigative genetic genealogy
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Random victim homicides
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Extortion homicides
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Current legal issues in homicide trials
Presenters
Lapu Lapu Mass Casualty Investigation
Presented by Detective Conrad Nemeth and A/Sergeant Kerry-Anne Horgan – Vancouver Police Department
On April 26, 2025, a mass casualty attack occurred during the Filipino Lapu-Lapu Day Festival in Vancouver when a vehicle was deliberately driven into a large crowd. The incident resulted in 11 fatalities, ranging in age from 5 to 65, and left dozens more injured. The event posed immediate and complex challenges for frontline responders, investigators, and incident commanders operating under extreme time pressure, public scrutiny, and emotional intensity.
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In this session, members of the Vancouver Police Department will provide an operational overview of the response and investigation, with a specific focus on lessons learned for critical incident commanders and investigative teams managing a large-scale, community-impacting event. Beyond tactical and investigative considerations, the presentation will highlight the often-overlooked wellness and mental health impacts on members tasked with leading, coordinating, and investigating mass casualty incidents.
A/Sergeant Kerry-Anne Horgan
Kerry-Anne holds a Master's degree in Public Health Management and previously served as a director for non-profit organizations in Africa, the United States, and Canada. She joined the Vancouver Police Department in 2011, beginning in Patrol before moving into investigative roles in the General, Special, and Homicide Investigation Units. She has led several high-profile investigations, including serving as a lead investigator during the 2025 Mass Casualty Incident response.
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Kerry-Anne is the lead facilitator for the File Coordinator Course, an instructor on the Part VI Course, and an assessor for the Forensic Interview Course. Her awards include the Order of Merit, the 2023 Police Officer of the Year Award, and several commendations for leading complex investigations. She is also committed to community education, having developed a program that educates teens on sexual offences, and volunteers with the Women's Personal Safety Team.
Detective Conrad Nemeth
Conrad joined the Vancouver Police Department in 2012 after finishing education from the University of Victoria in English and History, then a Masters of English Literature from the University of Wales. Initially working as a patrol officer in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, in 2018, he joined the Major Crime Section as a detective, first the Robbery, Arson and Assault Unit, and in 2021, the Homicide Unit. Conrad has led significant homicide investigations including the apprehension of a hitman in rural Alberta connected to Vancouver’s lower mainland gang conflict, as well as a lead investigator for the Lapu Lapu Mass Casualty investigation.
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Conrad has instructed the VPD Forensic Interviewing course since 2021, and serves as a guest lecturer at Kwantlen university, where he speaks on police investigations. He is a long-time member of the VPD Public Safety Unit, the VPD Forensic Interview and Assistance Team, and the VPD Police Athletic League. Conrad has been the recipient of numerous chief and deputy commendations, primarily related to project-based policing initiatives targeting violent offenders. Outside of his professional life, Conrad lives in North Vancouver with his wife and young daughter, and enjoys travelling, snowboarding and spending time with his family.
On April 19, 2007, 24-year-old Crystal Saunders was found deceased in a water-filled ditch near St. Ambroise, Manitoba, after last being seen the previous evening in Winnipeg’s West End. The investigation determined she had been working in the sex trade at the time of her death and that she died by strangulation. Although investigators recovered an unknown male DNA profile, it did not initially meet the threshold for upload to the National DNA Data Bank, and the homicide remained unsolved for more than 16 years. Following a comprehensive review by Project DEVOTE and advances in forensic DNA technology, investigators identified Kevin Charles Queau as a viable suspect.
Recognizing that DNA evidence alone would be insufficient to prove the circumstances of the homicide, the RCMP “K” Division Undercover Program, in partnership with investigators from the RCMP “D” Division Special Projects Team, undertook a complex, multi-jurisdictional undercover operation targeting a suspect living a wealthy lifestyle in downtown Vancouver. This presentation examines the integration of historical case review, forensic DNA, and undercover investigative techniques, while discussing some of the operational, logistical, and court related challenges encountered during a lengthy homicide investigation.
Crystal Saunders Homicide
Presented by Sergeant Tyler Hildahl – NCO i/c of RCMP “D” Division Historical Case Unit
Sergeant Tyler Hildahl
Sergeant Hildahl has served with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for over 22 years. He began his policing career in the isolated northern Manitoba First Nation community of Oxford House (Bunibonibee Cree Nation) before transferring to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, where he served in General Duty policing and the General Investigation Section.
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In 2012, Sgt. Hildahl transferred to “D” Division Major Crime Services in Winnipeg, Manitoba where he dedicated most of his career to investigating major crimes, primarily homicides. During his tenure with Major Crime Services, he has served in the Major Crime Unit, Serious Crime Unit, the Interview Team, Project DEVOTE, the Special Projects Team, and the Historical Case Unit. Throughout his career he investigated and supervised a wide range of complex homicide investigations, including historical homicides.
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Sgt. Hildahl currently serves as the NCO i/c of the “D” Division Historical Case Unit. In this role, he oversees investigations into unsolved homicides, leading investigators in applying contemporary investigative strategies, forensic advancements, and proactive investigative.
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Homicide of OPP Provincial Constable Greg Pierzchala
Presented by Detective Inspector Chris Folz and Detective Inspector Randy Gaynor – Ontario Provincial Police
​Provincial Constable Grzegorz (Greg) Pierzchala, a 28‑year‑old officer and member of the Haldimand County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.), was tragically shot and killed in the line of duty on December 27, 2022. Following his death, the O.P.P. Criminal Investigation Branch initiated a comprehensive and coordinated investigation, including an extensive manhunt, to identify, apprehend, and prosecute those responsible for the murder of P/C Pierzchala.
Detective Inspector Chris Folz
Detective Inspector Randy Gaynor
Detective Inspector Chris Folz is a senior investigator with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), bringing over 28 years of policing experience to major crime investigations. He began his law enforcement career with the Hamilton Police Service before transferring to the OPP, where he has spent the past two decades working in Major Crime. In 2022, Detective Inspector Folz was appointed to the Criminal Investigations Branch, where he now provides leadership and strategic oversight on complex, high‑profile investigations. His career reflects a deep commitment to investigative excellence, mentorship, and public safety.
Detective Inspector Randy Gaynor has been a police officer for 36 years with the OPP spending 29 years conducting and case managing criminal investigations. Randy worked as a Detective Constable at the Kirkland Lake Detachment until being promoted to Detective Sergeant in 2002, Northeast Region, deployed to the East Algoma Detachment. In 2009, Randy was promoted to Detective Staff Sergeant, Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, Sudbury. In 2012, Randy transferred to West Region where he where he was responsible of the supervision of six crime units and the Regional Support Team. In 2017, Randy was promoted to the rank of Detective Inspector, Criminal Investigations Branch, where he remains today providing leadership and strategic oversight on complex, high‑profile investigations. His career reflects a deep commitment to investigative excellence, mentorship, and public safety.
Post-Conviction Interviews: Lessons Learned
Presented by Sergeant Christian Reister – RCMP
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Sergeant Christian Reister – RCMP
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Sergeant Christian Reister is a 25-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), with the last 10 years dedicated to full-time major crime and homicide suspect interviewing. Throughout his career, he has conducted more than 300 homicide suspect interviews and has developed extensive expertise in advanced investigative interviewing techniques. Recognized internationally for his experience in the field, Sgt. Reister has delivered interview and interrogation training and presentations to law enforcement, internationally and locally. His work focuses on evidence-based interviewing practices, investigative strategy, hostile witness interviews, defending the confession in court and obtaining reliable information in serious criminal investigations. Drawing on decades of operational experience, Sgt. Reister continues to support major crime investigations while sharing practical insights and lessons learned with policing professionals across jurisdictions.
R v Okeymow – From Investigation to Conviction
Presented by Staff Sergeant Eric Stewart, Staff Sergeant Erik Bjarnson, Constable Michael Chafe and Crown Prosecutor Adam Garrett
This session examines R v Okeymow, the landmark Alberta prosecution in which a firearms trafficker was convicted of manslaughter for the deaths of two Edmonton Police Service officers; Constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan, and a civilian. These deaths caused not by his own hand, but by a rifle he unlawfully trafficked to a 16-year-old six weeks earlier. Presenters will walk through the coordinated multi-unit investigation named Project WOEFUL, including the ballistic match that first linked two crime scenes, digital evidence recovery from seized devices, undercover operations, and the biometric warrant used to unlock the accused’s phone. The session highlights how three separately initiated files, firearms trafficking, homicide, and attempted murder were unified into a single evidentiary record.
The session progresses to cover off the legal framework and litigation strategy that secured conviction on all 17 counts. Attendees will explore the Crown’s approach to proving the elements of the offences and trial decisions that shaped the outcome. The decision establishes significant precedent on the criminal liability of those who illegally sell firearms for the downstream violence their weapons cause, a development with implications for police investigators, Crown prosecutors, and firearms enforcement across Canada.
Adam Garrett
Senior Counsel Alberta’s Appeals and Specialized Prosecutions Office
Adam Garrett is Senior Counsel, Firearms Prosecutions with Alberta’s Appeals and Specialized Prosecutions Office and Team Lead of the Firearms Crime Group. Since becoming Alberta’s first Firearms Prosecutions Counsel in 2019, he has led key provincial and national firearms prosecution initiatives, chaired multiple firearms working groups, and authored the annual Firearms Prosecutions Guidebook. Called to the bar in 2009, Adam joined the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service in 2010 and has extensive experience prosecuting complex firearms, organized crime, homicide, terrorism, firearms trafficking, and 3D-printed firearms cases.
PRESENTATION SUMMARIES
Love, revenge & a body in Mount Royal - Det. Lacey Murdock & Det. Brett Farrar, CPS
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When a body is found in Calgary’s upscale Lower Mount Royal, the investigation leads to a gritty home in Forest Lawn where a woman and her friend hatched a plan to settle a score with her boyfriend. As their plan unfolded love and revenge took a deadly turn.
Advances in Forensic Science - Dr. Nicole Novroski, University of Toronto
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A presentation of the landscape in relation to historical unidentified human remains in Calgary; which includes connections to various historical missing persons and historical missing homicide victims, along with cutting edge forensic anthropology.
Cold Case & IGG - The truth never expires: Solving cold cases with genetic genealogy - Det. Chris Vermette & Det. Nichole Schwedelsky, CPS
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Investigators will share examples of Calgary area cold cases solved with the use of investigative genetic genealogy and examine hurdles encountered with historic cases.
The last border crossing - Special Agent Randy White, FBI
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A cold case murder in Garland, Texas is solved through investigative genetic genealogy, leading to a cross-border
arrest decades later.
The disappearance that unravelled a killer - Staff Sgt. Rob Bilawey, EPS
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After a limo driver goes missing, investigators uncover a fugitive living under a stolen identity. What begins as a missing person case quickly escalates
into a homicide investigation and an international manhunt.
The murder of Jodine MILLAR - Cpl. Rob Ennis & Cpl. Cameron Smirlies, British Columbia IHIT
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What started as a missing person case, became a domestic homicide as the investigators followed the evidence from Coquitlam, B.C. to Calgary, Alt,. in order to hold a murderer accountable.
The murder of James SATRE - Staff Sgt. Ryan Thorburn & Sgt. Jeff Klick, MHPS
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Proving truth is stranger than fiction, a killer targets an unrelated victim in an extortion scheme that must be heard to be believed.
Gangland at Mazaj - Ret. Det. Reagan Hossack & Det. Travis Lindemann, CPS
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Rival drug trafficking groups with a history of retaliatory violence, met by chance at a hookah lounge in northeast Calgary. Paid assassins were called in wait for one the groups and upon leaving, the target group was ruthlessly gunned down.
Voices from the Bar - Doug Taylor, K.C & Alain Hepner, K.C, & Aleksandra Simic
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In a rare turn of events the investigators will pose questions to the lawyers. With several decades of legal experience on the stage, current and anticipated legal issues, will be candidly discussed from three different perspectives.
This is just the beginning! Additional speakers, sessions, and presentation details will be added as they are confirmed. Check back often for the latest updates!
Accommodation and
Venue
Location & nearby attractions:
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With a stay at Sandman Signature Edmonton Downtown Hotel, you'll be centrally located in Edmonton, steps from Edmonton City Centre and 6 minutes by foot from Rogers Place. This hotel is 0.5 mi (0.8 km) from Edmonton Convention Centre and 6.6 mi (10.7 km) from West Edmonton Mall.
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Edmonton City Hall - 0.2 km / 0.1 mi
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Sir Winston Churchill Square - 0.2 km / 0.1 mi
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Art Gallery of Alberta - 0.3 km / 0.2 mi
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Edmonton City Centre - 0.3 km / 0.2 mi
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Grand Villa Casino - 0.5 km / 0.3 mi
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Winspear Centre - 0.5 km / 0.3 mi
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Rogers Place - 0.5 km / 0.3 mi
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Francis Winspear Centre for Music - 0.6 km / 0.4 mi
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Citadel Theatre - 0.6 km / 0.4 mi
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Royal Alberta Museum - 0.6 km / 0.4 mi
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Edmonton Convention Centre - 0.8 km / 0.5 mi
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About the Venue:
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Sandman Signature Edmonton Downtown Hotel
10235 101 Street, Edmonton, AB, CA, T5J3E9
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Sandman Signature Edmonton Downtown Hotel is a 3.5-star property located in the heart of Edmonton, Alberta. Positioned steps from Edmonton City Centre and a six-minute walk from Rogers Place, the hotel provides immediate access to the city's entertainment and cultural core. The Edmonton Convention Centre is 0.5 miles away, and the property sits within close proximity to landmarks including Sir Winston Churchill Square and the Art Gallery of Alberta. Edmonton International Airport is approximately 35 kilometers distant, with Sky Shuttle Airport Service available for guest convenience.
The hotel features 309 guestrooms, each appointed with a refrigerator, flat-screen television, and pillowtop bed dressed in premium bedding. Complimentary wireless internet access is standard in all rooms. Private bathrooms include shower/tub combinations, designer toiletries, and hair dryers. Guest comfort ratings average 4.3 out of 5, reflecting consistent satisfaction with room accommodations.
Dining is available at CHOP Steakhouse and Bar, which offers a full menu alongside a bar and lounge. Room service is available during limited hours for in-room dining. Cooked-to-order breakfasts are served daily from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM for a fee. Recreation amenities include an indoor pool, hot tub, and fitness center. Additional facilities encompass a hair salon, concierge services, business center with meeting rooms, shopping on site, and a ballroom suitable for events. The property maintains a 24-hour front desk, offers express check-out, and provides dry cleaning and laundry services. Parking is available with limited spaces and a surcharge; covered and secured parking options are offered. An electric car charging station is on site.
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Check-in begins at 3:00 PM with flexible late arrival options, and standard check-out is 12:00 PM.
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Conference rates:
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$169.00 per night + tax. Limited rooms at this reduced price. Reservations must be made prior to October 15, 2026
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Reservation Method and Booking Instructions
Reservations can be made by the following methods:
Reserve Online:
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BOOKING LINK: https://reservations.sandmanhotels.com/113066?&groupID=5355387#/
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Web Access Code: 2611EDMONT
Or call:
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Via Guest Support Centre: 1-800-SANDMAN / French: 1-800-493-7303
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Via Hotel Front Desk: 780-428-7111
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Quote group ID 661397 or Alberta Homicide Conference.
Parking:
Hotel offers parking at $30 + taxes per day per vehicle to stay-in guests.
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Optional Accommodation
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There are several other hotel options to choose from in Downtown Edmonton. The Delta Edmonton Centre Suites and The JW Marriott are both within easy walking distance of the venue.
Vendors & Sponsors
Our vendor and sponsor lineup is currently being finalized and will be published once confirmed. Please check back regularly for updates
Social Events
November 16, 2026, at The Edmonton Police Sergeants Mess. The EPS is proud to host Comedian Brad Semotiuk for a night of laughs. Time of Event to Follow.
Brad started stand up at 17, since then he has recorded an album with just for laughs originals, been on CBC radio, headlined across Canada, and bought a huge iced out Cuban link chain. His mind is crazy, twisted, and insane (in a cool way). He flies around in a private jet telling jokes and stories, and when he’s not doing that he’s riding around on a yacht telling jokes and stories. He hopes you will like his jokes and stories.
November 17, 2026, at The Rutherford Room at the Sadman Signature Hotel. The Alberta Homicide Conference presents Noise Complaint. Time of Event to Follow
Noise Complaint was formed in 2025, and the band is at the beginning of their musical journey together. Noise Complaint got its name after playing backyard BBQs and suburban parties, where turning it up was all part of the fun. The five-member cover band includes the powerful vocals of Aisha and Julie on the keyboards, Ian on the guitar, Jon on the bass and synth and Joe on the drums. The band has close ties to the Edmonton Police Service with 1 active sworn member and 2 civilian members. With nearly a 20-year age gap between the musicians, Noise Complaint offers up a wide range of musical history dating back to the 1970’s featuring Stealers Wheel and Fleetwood Mac all the way up to modern music including Jack White, Hozier, Chappell Roan, and Metric. And everything in between.
United by a shared love of live music rather than the years between them, Noise Complaint creates an atmosphere where every audience member can find a favorite. Their chemistry on stage proves that great rock transcends age, bringing people together one song at a time.
Contact Us
For general conference and registration inquiries please contact:
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S/Sgt. Dan Furman:
Cst. Phillip Smith:
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Cst. Veronique Gagnon: