Grande Prairie murder: Nathan Landry guilty of second-degree killing of Brian Buchaski
Nathan Landry has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the Grande Prairie murder of Brian Buchaski, a judge ruled after a judge-only trial that relied on witness testimony and video evidence.
Justice Christopher Millsap delivered his decision on July 30, 2026, concluding the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Landry intended to kill Buchaski during an attack in December 2023.
The verdict follows testimony, body-worn camera footage and surveillance video collected by investigators that tracked the accused and two others in the hours surrounding the homicide.
Judge delivers verdict
Justice Christopher Millsap set out his findings in a written decision issued July 30, 2026, after a judge-alone trial in Grande Prairie Court of King’s Bench.
Millsap concluded the Crown established the elements of second-degree murder and that Nathan Landry intended to kill when he struck the victim.
The judge weighed testimony, video evidence and forensic findings in reaching his decision and rejected the defense’s arguments that cast doubt on identification and motive.
Victim found in Muskoseepi Park encampment
Police discovered 34-year-old Brian Buchaski dead on December 4, 2023, at a tent site in the Westside Park area of Muskoseepi Park.
Buchaski’s body was located outside his tent under a blood-stained blanket and a medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide.
Forensic pathology recorded multiple serious injuries, including roughly 10 chop wounds to the head, blunt‑force trauma to the face and puncture wounds consistent with a knife.
Witness accounts of the attack
Several individuals who lived in or passed through the encampment provided testimony about events on the night of December 3 and early morning hours of December 4, 2023.
Levi Dylan Hopkins, who faces a separate first-degree murder charge, was the Crown’s principal eyewitness and described the confrontation, the presence of weapons and Landry’s role in the assault.
Another encampment resident, Camille Willard, told court she lived within about 25 metres of Buchaski and had seen Landry nearby, including occasions when he carried a hatchet.
Video and physical evidence timeline
Investigators assembled a timeline using body-worn camera footage and surveillance video from locations including Wapiti House, the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre and a Save‑on‑Foods.
A body-worn camera recorded an interaction with Buchaski and later captured Landry walking past, allowing police to match clothing and footwear seen in other footage to the accused.
The Crown argued the videos corroborated Hopkins’s account and showed the movements of Landry and two associates before and after the attack.
Weapons, injuries and environmental context
Court heard the attack involved multiple weapons, described in evidence as a roughly three‑foot axe, a smaller hatchet and a knife.
The medical examiner’s findings—multiple chop wounds, facial blunt‑force trauma and puncture wounds—were consistent with the use of those implements.
Millsap also noted environmental factors: the encampment was clustered with tents close together, temperatures were above freezing that day and there was no snow on the ground.
Assessment of witness credibility
The defence challenged Hopkins’s credibility, pointing to his criminal record, substance use and the possibility he had access to disclosure before testifying.
Millsap acknowledged those concerns and said a judge would have given a jury a Vetrovec warning had this been a jury trial, signaling caution in accepting the evidence of an accomplice or untested witness.
However, the judge found independent corroboration in videos, physical evidence and other testimony that mitigated credibility issues and allowed Hopkins’s account to be relied upon.
Court findings and legal conclusions
Millsap summarized that the trio had gone to the encampment to pack up Landry’s belongings, an encounter escalated over a missing Bluetooth speaker and that Landry struck Buchaski with an axe or hatchet.
The judge concluded Landry attempted to conceal evidence by changing his jacket and footwear after the assault, further supporting the Crown’s narrative.
On that basis, Millsap determined the Crown had proven all elements of second-degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt and entered a guilty verdict.
Landry is scheduled to be sentenced in Grande Prairie Court of King’s Bench later this year.
Hopkins is due back in court for sentencing on October 15, 2026, while co-accused Brady Desroches‑Smith faces a first‑degree murder jury trial set to begin November 13, 2026.
The court record will now move to sentencing submissions where the nature of the attack, the degree of planning and the impact on the victim’s family will be considered.
