Murder trial begins for Calgary man accused of killing Christopher Stevenson in 2023

A four-week jury trial began Monday for Shaun Folk, 49, charged with second-degree murder in the death of Christopher Stevenson, who disappeared August 24, 2023.

Stevenson was last seen on CCTV entering an apartment building on 6th Avenue SE early that morning. Prosecutors allege Folk arranged the meeting at his apartment because Stevenson owed him money. Folk believed he was owed the debt, according to court documents.

Prosecutor Donna Spaner told the jury that Stevenson was violently assaulted inside the apartment, then injected with fentanyl, which caused his death. Folk and co-accused Ali El-Sayed, 47, then moved the body into a Chrysler Grand Caravan and drove it to a rural property in Rockyview County, where they placed it in a large burn barrel and cremated it. All that remained were ash, fragments of bone, and a distinctive gold ring that Stevenson's mother identified as belonging to her son.

Blood was found on walls, picture frames, and in floor cracks throughout the apartment's kitchen and office. A video on Folk's seized cellphone shows a large fire in a burn barrel. Crown prosecutors will call roughly 30 witnesses, including forensic experts, civilians, and data specialists.

El-Sayed is charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Justice Shane Parker is presiding. Stevenson's body has never been recovered.