A nearly month-long preliminary inquiry has been set for a man accused in the deaths of two local women. Mark Phillips is charged with second degree murder in the killings of 24 year old Amber Diebert and 30 year old Jody Topilko.
Their bodies were both found in rural areas west of Clairmont in late 2015. A preliminary inquiry will be held from April 3rd to 28th of next year, in order to determine if there’s enough evidence to send the homicides to trial.
28 year old Phillips is already serving a seven year sentence after pleading guilty to five of his 25 charges stemming from the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams’ largest fentanyl seizure ever at the time. Nearly a quarter million dollars worth of drugs was seized from his home in October 2014. Phillips faced more charges when it was alleged that his home had been bought with the proceeds of crime.