CALGARY – A two-week preliminary inquiry set to conclude Friday (Sept. 29) will determine if a man accused in the second stabbing death in Banff in a month in 2022 will proceed to trial on second-degree murder charges.
John Sproule, a resident of Lake Country, B.C., is facing charges in connection to the Sept. 3, 2022, death of Ryden Brogden, a 27-year-old Foothills County man.
The court, including friends and family members of Brogden present in the public gallery, is expected to hear testimony from 18 witnesses, with Kaitlyn Perrin as Crown prosecutor and Derek Jugnauth as defence counsel.
Justice Karen Molle approved a publication ban on evidence heard in the Calgary Court of Justice hearing at the request of Jugnauth.
Sproule, 23, was charged Sept. 4, the day after Banff RCMP were called to a report of a stabbing outside the Dancing Sasquatch nightclub on Banff Avenue around midnight on Sept. 3. Brogden was stabbed multiple times and was taken to hospital but died of his injuries.
Following a brief pursuit, Sproule and another suspect were arrested by police on Marten Street, where they had tried to access several apartments. The second suspect was subsequently released without charges.
In December 2022, Sproule was released on bail but ordered by Calgary Justice Jim Eamon to remain under house arrest at his parents’ Lake Country home, with his parents also acting as sureties of $150,000 on their residence.
Additionally, Sproule is prohibited from entering Banff and was ordered to remain within 200 kilometres of Lake County, except when accompanied by his counsel, a surety, or for court appearances.
His passports were surrendered and he was to have no contact with five individuals, including his brother, Josh, and Dancing Sasquatch staff.
He’s also prohibited from owning weapons and buying alcohol, recreational cannabis or any drug that isn’t prescribed by a doctor or dentist.
Sproule’s bail hearing led to a publication ban placed on evidence presented and the reasons that allowed for Sproule to receive bail.
Brodgen, who had a passion for fly fishing and photography, as well as a love for animals, according to his obituary, was the second fatal stabbing victim in Banff last summer.
Ethan Enns-Goneau, who was born and raised in the mountain resort town, was fatally stabbed Aug. 6, 2022, following an attack inside a bathroom at the Dancing Sasquatch.
John Christopher Arrizza, 23, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of the 26-year-old Banff resident and appeared in Calgary Court of King’s Bench earlier this month, on Sept. 8.
Following a preliminary hearing held in Canmore provincial court in July, it was determined before Alberta’s top court that Arrizza will face a two-week jury trial beginning Sept. 9, 2024.
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.
