Calgary murder trial updated as Paulos Berhe faces reduced charge ahead of May jury
Calgary murder trial: Paulos Berhe will be tried on a second-degree murder charge after a Crown indictment change; jury selection is set for April 30, 2026 and the trial begins May 4, 2026.
Paulos Berhe, 30, will face a reduced murder charge when his Calgary murder trial opens next week, after prosecutors filed a new indictment eliminating a count of first-degree murder.
The change was announced in Court of King’s Bench on Friday as defence counsel Allan Fay confirmed his client had been informed and did not oppose the Crown’s application.
Jury selection is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, 2026, and the trial is set to begin on Monday, May 4, 2026.
Charge reduced to second-degree murder
A Crown prosecutor, Peter Mackenzie, filed the fresh indictment that replaces the first-degree murder count with a second-degree murder charge.
Fay told Justice Keith Yamauchi that the second count—discharging a firearm with intent to wound—remains intact, and that Berhe will otherwise proceed to trial as planned.
No detailed reasons were given in open court for the Crown’s decision to seek the amended charge.
Victim and alleged circumstances of the shooting
The charges relate to the Dec. 18, 2023, killing of Forest Lawn resident Donald Lyons, 43, who was shot and later died from his injuries.
Police previously said the shooting appeared to be targeted and pre‑planned, allegations that, if proven, would support a first‑degree murder charge.
Prosecutors routinely reassess counts before trial and may reduce charges if they judge an element of the original accusation cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Legal stakes: life sentence and parole ineligibility
Both first‑ and second‑degree murder convictions carry an automatic life sentence under Canadian law, but the period before someone becomes eligible for parole differs.
A first‑degree murder conviction carries a 25‑year period of parole ineligibility, while a second‑degree conviction can attract parole ineligibility that is as low as 10 years, depending on the judge’s order.
That difference can substantially affect an eventual sentence and is likely to be a factor in the strategic decisions made by both Crown and defence during the trial.
Arrest, evidence and related charges
Berhe was arrested on Feb. 26, 2025, after police executed a search of a residence on Erin Ridge Road S.E., investigators said at the time.
The second charge against him stems from the same incident and alleges he discharged a firearm with intent to wound a woman who was shot during the incident.
Details of the Crown’s evidence were not disclosed in court on Friday, and prosecutors did not outline publicly what led to the decision to alter the murder count.
Other recent court business in Calgary
The Court of King’s Bench on Friday also dealt with a separate sentencing matter involving a man who admitted to defrauding Alberta Student Aid programs.
Prosecutors urged a custodial term for 39‑year‑old Mitchell Beauvais, saying the sophistication and scale of the fraud—using forged identity documents to secure student loans—requires a deterrent sentence.
Defence counsel argued for a conditional sentence and extended probation, saying homelessness and instability, not greed, motivated the offence; sentencing is scheduled for early summer to allow travel arrangements.
Ongoing investigations and related murder trials in southern Alberta
Calgary courts are managing several other high‑profile homicide matters, underscoring the local justice system’s heavy docket.
A preliminary inquiry is set for Oct. 29 to Nov. 13, 2026, for four youths charged with first‑degree murder in the Aug. 1, 2025 death of 16‑year‑old Carter Spivak‑Villeneuve.
In another case stemming from the March 29, 2023 death of Tara Miller, prosecutors told a judge they will seek to proceed against three of four accused after the fourth lost legal counsel; the group was arrested in January 2024, making the Jordan deadline for a stay of proceedings July 2026.
The coming days will test the Crown’s evidence and jurors’ judgment as the Calgary murder trial of Paulos Berhe proceeds with a reduced charge and closely watched scheduling milestones.
