Claire Theobald, TorontoStar

Claire Theobald

TorontoStar

Edmonton, AB, Canada

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • TorontoStar
  • Edmonton Sun
  • Edmonton Journal
  • Toronto Sun
  • National Post
  • Calgary Sun

Past articles by Claire:

Expert questions memory during trial of Edmonton bar promoter accused of 13 sexual assaults

A jury must decide what to believe after psychology professor testifies that false memories can seem real at Matthew McKnight trial. → Read More

Crown calls for life sentence for Edmonton van attacker, says fact no one died was a matter of ‘luck’

Crown prosecutors are calling for Abdulahi Hasan Sharif to be sentenced to life in prison for the attempted murder of an Edmonton police officer and another 20 years for running down four pedestrians in a violent crime spree on Sept. 30, 2017. → Read More

Fantasy or nightmare? Jury hears conflicting accounts during trial of Edmonton bar promoter charged with 13 sexual assaults

Matthew McKnight, 33, took the stand for eight days in his own defence recounting details of every night where he stands accused of sexually assaulting a woman, framing his encounters as entirely consensual. → Read More

Murder or manslaughter? Judge to decide fate of father accused of beating 19-month-old son to death

Justice David Labrenz heard closing arguments in the second-degree murder trial of Joey Crier, on Friday accused of second-degree murder in the death of Anthony Raine, whose battered body was found abandoned behind an Edmonton church in 2017 → Read More

Judge finds woman guilty of manslaughter for standing by as toddler beaten to death

Justice Robert Graesser was tasked with deciding if Tasha-Lee Mack should be found guilty of murder for neglecting her duty of care over Anthony Raine, whose battered body was found abandoned behind an Edmonton church in 2017 → Read More

Edmonton bar promoter accused of sexually assaulting 13 women takes stand to defend ‘blackened’ name

Defence lawyer Dino Bottos urged jurors to focus on the evidence at Matthew McKnight began testifying in his own defence following eight weeks of emotional testimony from alleged victims. → Read More

Victim ‘lived a good life’ judge said in sentencing Edmonton man who cut out ex’s heart to life in prison

Silva Koshwal, 43, was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for 18 years after a judge rejected claims that he was too insane to be held responsible for the 2015 murder and mutilation of Nadine Skow. → Read More

Crown calls for harsh sentence for Edmonton man who stabbed ex-girlfriend’s heart to wall in brutal 2015 murder

Crown prosecutor Laurie Trahan argued Silva Koshwal, who stabbed Nadine Skow more than a hundred times — 63 while she was still alive — before cutting out her organs should spend at least two decades behind bars. → Read More

Court hears closing argument in case against woman charged with murder in Edmonton toddler’s death

Tasha-Lee Mack was charged with second-degree murder after 19-month-old Anthony Raine’s beaten body was found abandoned underneath a blanket behind an Edmonton church in 2017 → Read More

Man admits in Edmonton court to sharing hundreds of files of child pornography by accident

Steven Brian Davis, 36, claimed he didn’t know the file sharing program he used automatically made 857 photographs and 27 videos of child pornography he downloaded available to other users, including police. → Read More

‘I was telling him to stop’: Tearful testimony heard at trial of Edmonton bar promoter charged with 13 sexual assaults

Matthew McKnight, 32, is accused of using his staff position at Knoxville’s Tavern to lure and sexually assault women over a six year span. More than a dozen alleged victims are expected to testify during the 48-day trial. → Read More

Convicted sex offender says being listed on the mandatory registry violates his charter rights

Alberta’s top court hears Wednesday that it should be up to a judge to decide whether a convicted sex offender has to be listed on the national registry. → Read More

Former Edmonton bar owner given 18-month suspended sentence for sexually assaulting staff member

James Leder, former owner of the since-closed Needle Vinyl Tavern was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to groping Brittany Rudyck multiple times even after she asked him to stop. → Read More

Jury set to decide fate of accused in Edmonton van attack

Justice Paul Belzil gave his final instructions to jurors Thursday in the trial of Abdulahi Hasan Sharif. Sharif is facing 11 charges, including five of attempted murder, after an officer was hit by a car and stabbed and a driver of a U-Haul allegedly rampaged through downtown Edmonton on Sept. 30, 2017, hitting four people. → Read More

Crown alleges accused in Edmonton van attack planned to ‘go out in a blaze of destruction’

In closing arguments Wednesday, Crown prosecutor Shelley Bykewich said the fact that no one died in the Sept. 30, 2017 crime spree does not mean the accused had no intent to kill anyone, while amicus lawyer said testimony offers conflicting evidence. → Read More

Lead investigator who helped put ‘monster’ sex offender father behind bars recalls details of horrific case

In a one-on-one interview with Star Edmonton, RCMP Cpl. Cameron Dunn said the trial of an Evansburg, Alta., father for sexually assaulting his daughters did not even scratch “the surface of all the weirdness and intricacies” of the investigation. → Read More

Accused Edmonton van attacker will not call evidence in his defence in attempted murder trial

After having declined to cross examine dozens of witnesses called by Crown prosecutors, Abdulahi Hasan Sharif said in Edmonton court Monday he will not be testifying or presenting any evidence. → Read More

Here’s everything you need to know as an Albertan voting in Canada’s federal election

From where to vote to the biggest issues resonating in Alberta, here’s a primer on Monday’s federal election → Read More

Trial begins for father accused of beating 19-month-old son, leaving his body behind Edmonton church

Joey Crier is on trial for second-degree murder in the death of his own son, Anthony Raine, who was found underneath a blanket behind the Good Shepherd Anglican Church three days after he died in April 2017. → Read More

Witnesses describe man ‘calmly’ stabbing police officer in trial of alleged Edmonton van attacker

The trial of Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, facing 11 charges after a police officer was stabbed and four pedestrians were hit by a U-Haul cube van on Sept. 30, 2017, continues in Edmonton court Friday → Read More