Two men convicted of second-degree murder in Colin Hough murder case
Two men were found guilty of second-degree murder in the Colin Hough murder; jury returned verdicts May 30, 2026, and also found them guilty of armed robbery. Trial over.
A 12-member Court of King’s Bench jury in Calgary returned guilty verdicts on May 30, 2026, finding Elijah Blake Strawberry and Arthur Wayne Penner guilty of second-degree murder in the Colin Hough murder. The verdict also included two counts each of armed robbery tied to the theft of Hough’s work truck and an attempted vehicle theft after a FortisAlberta worker was shot. Justice Shane Parker will determine parole ineligibility and impose a life sentence required by law for second-degree murder.
Jury delivers guilty verdicts
The jury began deliberations on May 29, 2026, after a four-week trial that opened on May 4, 2026, and returned its decision late the following afternoon. Jurors convicted both men of second-degree murder and of two counts of armed robbery, concluding the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt the accused participated in the August 6, 2024, incidents. The Court of King’s Bench jury was dismissed after the verdicts, having been invited to provide recommendations on parole ineligibility for the judge’s consideration.
Circumstances of the Aug. 6, 2024 shooting
The killing occurred on Aug. 6, 2024, at the intersection of Range Road 282 and Township Road 250, east of Calgary, when 45‑year‑old Rocky View County worker Colin Hough slowed to investigate a burning vehicle. Court testimony established Hough was shot three times; one bullet pierced his heart and he died at the scene. The Crown said Hough, a husband and father of two, had stopped to assist and was fatally wounded during the confrontation.
FortisAlberta worker wounded during the incident
FortisAlberta employee Matthew Andres testified at trial that he was shot in the arm by a masked man who demanded the keys to his company pickup while it was left running at the roadside. Andres said the assailant fired at him before attempting to seize the vehicle, and the jury heard that the accused attempted to take his truck after stealing Hough’s. Earlier this week, however, Justice Parker ordered an attempted murder charge related to Andres withdrawn for both defendants, ruling there was insufficient evidence for the jury to consider that charge.
Evidence presented by the Crown
Crown prosecutor Photini Papadatou told jurors in closing arguments that the case rested largely on circumstantial evidence and forensic links that placed both men at the scene and in the immediate vicinity. The Crown presented DNA evidence recovered at the location and nearby, testimony from Andres and other witnesses, and a sequence of actions the prosecutor said tied Strawberry and Penner to the shootings and the thefts. The jury accepted that the circumstantial record met the high legal threshold required for conviction.
Defence arguments and contested points
Defence counsel argued during trial that the Crown had not proven their clients were present at the moment Hough was killed and urged jurors to acquit on reasonable doubt. Lawyers for Strawberry and Penner contested the interpretation of DNA and witness testimony and highlighted gaps in the Crown’s timeline. The judge’s decision to remove the attempted murder charge in relation to Andres underscored the contested nature of certain elements of the Crown’s case.
Legal penalties and parole ineligibility process
Second-degree murder convictions carry a mandatory life sentence under Canadian law, but the period a convicted person must serve before being eligible for parole is set by the sentencing judge. Justice Shane Parker indicated he will consider jurors’ recommendations on parole ineligibility when he passes sentence, and a two-day sentencing hearing has been scheduled for later in 2026 to hear victim impact statements. The armed robbery convictions also carry separate sentences that the court will impose alongside the life term.
Next steps in the court process
A two-day sentencing hearing later in 2026 will provide an opportunity for the family of Colin Hough and other victims to deliver impact statements and for lawyers to make submissions on appropriate parole ineligibility periods and ancillary penalties. The judge will set specific dates for sentencing and determine how the armed robbery counts are to be served relative to the life sentence. Until sentencing, both Strawberry and Penner remain subject to the court’s custody arrangements following conviction.
The guilty verdicts bring a courtroom reckoning to a rural Calgary community still processing the August 6, 2024 killing of a county employee who stopped to help, and they set the stage for a sentencing process that will determine how long the two men will be kept beyond ordinary parole eligibility under the life sentence prescribed for second‑degree murder.
