Stephanie Rae Butler, 25, was found dead on April 7th, 2007. She had been murdered the night before, with cause of death determined to be blunt force cranial trauma.

Case status is officially open and active, but Kenneth Anthony Butler, 24, has been charged with aggravated assault in a related matter. Kenneth Butler was identified as the prime suspect in connection with Stephanie's death and may face charges of murder, break and enter, and breach of recognizance.

A man initially charged with aggravated assault in connection with the beating of a cab driver now faces murder charges relating to the death of his sister-in-law.

The unusual story began to unfold on the night of April 6th, 2007 while police investigated reports of a Co-op cab driver found beaten and lying outside his taxi.

A man turned himself over to police while they were on the scene. Meanwhile, officers were unaware the man's sister-in-law, 25-year-old Stephanie Rae Butler, had just been murdered in her own home just meters away.

Stephanie's body was discovered the next day by her father after being asked to check on her welfare.

The woman's husband, 26-year-old Michael Butler, was the first to tell media his brother Ken was the suspect police had arrested in connection with Stephanie's murder.

latest update
Stephanie and Michael Butler
wednesday, april 4th, 2007 - Ken comes calling
friday, april 6th - a cab driver is assaulted
saturday, april 7th - Stephanie is found dead
sunday, april 8th - morning after hindsight
monday, april 9th - Michael Butler calls for change
tuesday, april 10th - Kenneth Butler appears in court
sunday, april 15th - memorial web site goes online

wednesday, april 18th - vigil held at the Legislature

saturday, april 21st - funeral service held

may 9th, 2007 - Kenneth Butler charged

For Stephanie and Michael Butler their marriage was still in blossom.

Married for two years, together for eight, they had sold their condo and moved into a split-level bungalow in the Mill Woods community of Kiniski Gardens in December 2006.

Stephanie was in love with the home. She chose the paint, a greyish tone and other colours, and "she loved the glass sink. She picked it out," Michael said later.

"We did lots of work on that place."

Most of all, Stephanie wanted to have a yard for their dog, a one-year-old cocker spaniel-poodle cross.

"She liked to walk the dog, Milo," Michael said later. "And she liked to watch movies with me and hang out."

Growing up in Edmonton, Stephanie played the violin as a child. In 1990, she won first place at the Kiwanis Music Festival in the violin solo concert class for children 12 years and under.

"She didn't like to compete; she liked to play for herself," Michael said. Of late she would play only at funerals, he added.

Stephanie attended J. Percy Page High School, later graduating from the Human Resources Management program at the University of Alberta. She most recently worked as an assistant in the Human Resources department at the Grey Nuns hospital.

For Stephanie and Michael, it was a perfect time. The only worry in their family was of Michael's brother Ken.

Butler later said his family had been trying for years to help keep Ken off drugs such as crystal meth.

They talked to the police, they talked to Ken's social worker, they sought help from AADAC, but nothing seemed to work. As a last resort, the Butler family bought Ken a house in Regina and helped him move there.

Michael said his mother had obtained a restraining order against Ken. "He burned our basement before," the brother said.

With Ken now a province away, the Butlers thought their family finally had some peace. But all that changed on the morning of Wednesday, April 4th, 2007.

Early that day, Michael answered his phone and was shocked to hear his brother calling from the bus depot asking for a ride. Ken had arrived in town and wanted to stay with Michael and Stephanie.

"I told him not to come," Michael said.

A short time later, Butler said his brother arrived by taxi and started pounding on the door, demanding to be let inside. Michael refused to open the door.

After a half-hour of his brother's yelling on their doorstep and trying to break in, Butler called police.

Officers arrived and arrested Ken who was wanted on outstanding warrants. He was released on his own recognizance and $300 bail, and was additionally ordered to stay away from his brother's residence.

Police later confirmed they responded to a "trouble with person" report at Butler's address on Wednesday at 11 a.m. A 24-year-old suspect was arrested and held in their cells overnight before being released the next day.

Later on Wednesday night, Stephanie urged Michael to call police to find out what they were doing with his brother. He was told to expect a call back. It never came.

"She was really concerned about him," Michael said. "She was scared of him because he was so crazy."

On Thursday, April 5th Stephanie called her mother, Sue Mah Poy, and told her she was worried about her husband's brother.

"She mentioned to me that she was a little bit nervous, especially after he tried to break into their house. He had also made threats, although it was hard to say how serious they were," Mah Poy later recalled.

"I invited her to come stay with me for the weekend because Michael was going to be in Red Deer."

"She said, 'No. I have to stay home and look after Milo,' their dog. I said, 'We can come back together and feed the dog,' but she decided to stay at home."

"That's really, really hard for me to think about now," the grieving mother said.

On Friday, April 6th at around 8 p.m., Michael left for Red Deer to play in a recreational men's basketball tournament the next morning.

"I shouldn't have left," he later said. He reasoned that his brother had never shown aggression against his wife.

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On Friday evening, April 6th a man and some of his friends were walking near 42nd Avenue and 38th Street at about 10:00 p.m. when they came across an injured man lying the sidewalk.

"He wasn't responding, just gurgling blood," said the man in his 20s. "We turned him on his side."

Nearby, an empty Co-op cab was running.

Police and emergency medical personnel arrived and quickly determined the 61-year-old man was the cab's driver and he been beaten by his fare.

The cabbie was taken to University of Alberta Hospital with severe life-threatening head injuries.

Investigators said a suspect fled the scene, but within 35 minutes of officers arriving a man approached one of the police cars and got into the back seat.

"We did locate a man in the area who had blood on his hands."

"We have arrested him and he is now in custody pending further investigation," Sgt. Toba told media cameras at the time.

"A canine unit established a track from the cab which led to the police car that the suspect entered, confirming that he was the male they were looking for."

By Saturday afternoon, police had charged a 24-year-old man.

"We do have a subject in custody that will be charged with aggravated assault at this time," acting Insp. Stewart Callioux said.

"But until we talk to the cab driver and hear from him what exacty happened we're not entirely sure what events unfolded."

Police confirmed that no weapons were used in the assault.

Family members of the cabbie were too traumatised to speak to media. His injuries were so severe his wife didn't recognise him.

Further charges could be added, and possibly a search for other suspects could take place, once police are able to speak to the man who remains in critical condition in a medically-induced coma in the hospital's intensive care unit.

"Right now, the only person's story they have is the accused," a police spokesman said.

A representative of Co-op Taxi said the driver had just dropped off a passenger and was probably flagged down on the street by the fare that attacked him.

"I can confirm he wasn't dispatched to the second fare," the man said.

The cab's computer showed a two-minute gap between the drop-off and the next pickup. The cab was found using its global positioning system, a device police said likely saved the driver's life.

The cabbie had over six years' experience, "so he wasn't a rookie," the Co-op representative said.

It was later learned the dog track led from the cab, to Stephanie and Michael Butler's house, and then to the police car where the man was sitting.

Burak Beyazay, who lived immediately next door to the couple, told the Edmonton Sun said he had heard nothing unusual that night, adding he was home the whole time entertaining a group of friends.

"I didn't hear anything unusual, but I did notice the [couple's] dog was barking a lot sometime around 10 p.m. – maybe for 20 to 30 minutes," he said.

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On Saturday, April 7th Michael Butler was in Red Deer attending the basketball tournament.

He tried calling Stephanie a few times, even text messenging her on his cellphone, but there was no answer.

He started calling his wife's friends and family, finally getting through to Stephanie's parents.

Shortly after 5 p.m., Stephanie's father went to the couple's house and found his daughter's body. He called Michael and told him to come home immediately.

Homicide detectives were called out to Stephanie and Michael's home at 42nd Avenue near 38 Street at about 5:15 p.m.

 

When police arrived they noticed obvious signs that the woman had been assaulted. "We're considering it to be a homicide right now," said a police spokesman.

 

Michael, driving straight from Red Deer, returned to his home at about 6:30 p.m, leapt out of his car and ran toward the house.

 

"It's a crime scene," an officer told him as they held him back. "We just have to talk."

 

Michael grew upset and continued pushing toward the house. "Get the fuck off me, man!" he pleaded.
 

Officers had to restrain him from entering the house. Michael then fell to the ground.

 

On his knees, with his head on the ground and fists clenched, Michael sobbed and cried out, "Oh, God. Why?"

 

He was assisted into the back of a patrol car which took him away from the scene.

 

"Steph hadn't answered my phone call, so I called her dad. He found her the way she was," Michael later said.

 

Police tape, now linked to that still up from the cab driver's assault of the previous night just metres away, surrounded the residence while Stephanie's body remained inside overnight.

 

To area residents, the crime scene tape seemed continuous

 

"It's, like, what the hell is going on?" said Glenn Poliak. "There's been cops here in the intersection for 24 hours now. It's just bizarre."

 

Officers continued to investigate and were trying to determine whether there were signs of forced entry on the house. They also started to develop the theory that the assault on the cab driver and Stephanie's murder were linked.

 

An autopsy conducted April 10th determined Stephanie Rae Butler died of blunt force trauma, specifically severe head injuries.

 

Kenneth Anthony Butler appeared in court the same day.

 

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It later became evident that while police were investigating the assault on the Co-op cab driver, Stephanie Rae Butler was fighting off an attacker during the last moments of her life.

 

A police spokesman later said there was no way investigators could have known of the events unfolding within the home or prevented Stephanie's death.

 

"I think every officer who was at that scene or connected with that incident somehow is probably asking themselves what they could have done differently."

 

"Given the violence and the vicious nature of that attack, I don't think anybody could have changed the outcome."

 

Police did not check the Butlers' house on Friday night, and likely thought nothing of the cab assault suspect's scent trail being found on the Butler property.

 

Investigators later believed the suspect broke into the house through a basement window and killed Stephanie during the 35 minutes after he beat the cab driver and before he turned himself in to police.

 

"He exited the home, ran to a nearby police car, and got in the back seat," the spokesman explained.

 

"It was at that point that a responding canine unit team that was already searching the area picked up a strong scent near the house that led them directly to the police car."

 

The police spokesman did not know if there would be a review to determine why they did not check the Butlers' house – an address their aggravated assault suspect was forbidden to visit and where he had been arrested days earlier.

 

Speaking with media, Michael Butler identified the suspect police have in custody as his brother Ken. He also figured his wife's murder was 'payback' for having called police to have his brother arrested just days earlier.

 

Butler said his wife was afraid of his brother.

 

"I called police and what did they do? They arrested him, they let him go and they didn't even tell me. How is that protecting the public? It's so sick. It's not fair."

 

"They didn't do anything. They just made the problem worse. They pissed him off more and that's probably why he got so mad at me – because I got him arrested. It would have been better if I had gone out that day to talk to him, because that is what I usually do."

 

"This is one of the first times I called the police on him and, boy, was that a mistake."

 

Butler said the justice system has failed his family, and his wife's death was proof that his brother should not have been out of custody.

 

"I don't want this to happen to anyone else, the community should not go through this," Michael said, announcing he would be calling his MP and the police chief because he thinks something is wrong with the justice system.

 

Stephanie's mother, Sue Mah Poy, said she was "raging mad" at Ken. But she said she also felt sorry for him because she remembered him as a very nice person while in the early stages of his mental problems.

 

"It's a shame he was never able to receive the treatment he needed, or wasn't detained in a jail or a mental hospital."

 

Mah Poy said she hadn't just lost a daughter. "I've also lost my best friend. I couldn't have asked for a better child or a better friend as she grew into an adult. There's a pretty big emptiness in my heart right now. I'm trying to hold it together."

 

"Steph was a beautiful person, and our families should not be going through this," said Michael.

 

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On Monday, April 9th Michael Butler was on the steps of City Hall hoping to catch the ear of anyone who would listen to his pleas calling for changes to a justice system that he felt failed his family.

 

"We couldn't control my brother. We tried to help him out and there was no way for us to deal with him. There was no help other than us helping ourselves."

 

"There's no help for people out right now like my brother. It really hurts the people around in the community.". 

 

"And the way things are going now it's not good for our community so I want to talk to the mayor."

 

"It's simple to throw blame," Mayor Stephen Mandel said.

"You know, I don't have all the answers."

 

"I will talk to the chief in the next day or so and find out what happened."

 

"I'm going to dedicate my life to this – in my wife's memory," Butler said of his efforts to gain more support for people with addictions and mental illness.

 

Michael said he wanted to start a petition and raise money for a help centre in his wife's name.

 

"Steph was a beautiful person – she volunteered all the time at the soup kitchen down here."

 

"With negative kharma going around the only way to stop it is to have good kharma coming out. She was a beautiful person and she taught me that."

 

"This is the only thing I can do in life right now – because I don't have her anymore."

 

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On Tuesday, April 10th Kenneth Anthony Butler appeared in provincial docket court, answering only to charges of aggravated assault and failure to appear.

 

Butler was also expected to be charged with the death of his sister-in-law Stephanie Rae Butler but police did not say when that would take place.

 

During the brief court appearance, Butler told the judge he wanted to represent himself.

 

However, a forensic psychiatrist in the courtroom approached the bench and told the judge that the suspect wasn’t capable of representing himself.

 

Butler was then ordered to undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment and was remanded in custody to the Alberta Hospital.

 

Oddly, Global Edmonton reported, during one newscast only, that "a lawyer for the accused said his client was not criminally responsible for the attack or killing."

 

Butler's next court date was not announced.

 

On Sunday, April 15th the Mah Poy and Butler families placed a newspaper ad and launched a web site to honour the loss of their daughter and wife, Stephanie.

   

A funeral service to commemorate her life was announced to be held Saturday, April 21st at the Mill Woods United Church, 15 Grand Meadow Crescent, in Edmonton.

 

Both the ad and the web site provide details for the acceptance of donations to the Stephanie Mah Poy-Butler Memorial Fund.

 

The web site, www.butlerpetition.com, also invites visitors to contact leaders "to produce positive change for the safety of our community."

 

The site will soon provide a comment feature in addition to links to other resources.

 

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On Wednesday, April 18th dozens of family, friends and strangers braved a cold and drizzly evening to pay tribute to Stephanie Ray Butler on the steps of the Alberta Legislature building.

 

 

 

For the Mah Poy family it was a difficult time. Stephanie's aunt Helen Mah spoke for the slain woman's father Doug (at left).

 

"What do you do when you lose your only child?"

 

"Your children are not supposed to predecease you. It's been very hard," Mah said.

 

Audrey Charles knew Stephanie since childhood and was her best friend. She traveled from Tokyo where she lives to attend the vigil.

 

Audrey said action needs to be taken to prevent similar crimes from happening. 

 

"There are so many 'what ifs' around her death."

 

"What if they called Mike and told him that they're letting him out of jail – that would have stopped it right there. I'm sure he would have stayed home."

 

"It really upset me. I'm horrified."

 

"This shouldn't have happened – especially to her. She was the person that everyone aspires to be."

 

 

Also at the vigil was Peacha Atkinson, still mourning the loss of her daughter Nina Courtepatte.

 

"It gives me strength to know that I'm here."

 

"I let him know I was here to show my support."

 

Michael Butler spoke to those gathered and encouraged them to support his efforts to bring changes to the justice system and police procedure.

 

"We can make a difference – only if we work hard."

 

"From the bottom of my heart and from the bottom of Steph's little ... I really really thank you."

 

Michael later spoke to media about his wife, changes he'd like to see and plans he has for donations he is collecting."

 

"I know she's with me right now. And I know she's in heaven – there's no other way to say it. Hopefully her spirit can help people."

 

"I believe there should be some policy changes in the structure of the way the police approach dangerous situations."

 

"I believe that we should have places for the homeless people to go."

 

"We're looking at any donation funds to build a girls and boys club on the site where my house is."

 

"I'm going to tear it down myself – I'm a builder so that's not hard for me to do."

 

In conversation with the Edmonton Sun, Butler indicated he wasn't yet sure what would be done with donations collected.

 

"We're not sure what we're going to use the money to spend on," he said. "We don't know how much we're going to receive or if we're going to receive anything at all."

 

Butler also suggested a scholarship could set up in his wife's name.

 

Michael Butler also told the Sun his younger brother Ken called him from Alberta hospital one evening about a week before.

 

"I was devastated just hearing his voice. I don't want to ever talk to him again," Butler recalled.

 

After he realised it was his brother he hung up immediately. Ken had just enough time to utter a childhood nickname.

 

"I don't want to know what he was trying to say," Michael added. "It won't make a difference what he says."

 

Butler now wanted to know how his brother was granted phone privileges. He called the psychiatric hospital back and told staff to make sure Ken doesn't call him again.

 

A hospital spokesman couldn't be reached by the Sun for comment.

 

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On Saturday, April 21st a funeral service for Stephanie Rae Butler was held at the Mill Woods United Church in Edmonton.

 

A standing room only gathering of 400 family and friends filled the church. All praised the woman for her effervescent personality and sense of humor.

 

Stephanie's husband Michael spoke of his love for her and and reflected on the pain of losing his wife.

"What I have to say is to Stephanie's spirit," he said.

 

"I'll always love you."

 

"I'll always be in love with you."

 

"I'll always love your soul."

 

"I will see you in heaven little boo."

 

"It's too bad we couldn't be here celebrating someone's birthday or someone's achievements."

 

"I really miss you. Don't be sad Stephanie."

 

"Please support my decisions. I know I will make you mad, but I will never love anyone like I loved you."

 

"We have to turn this evil act into a good thing. I don't know how, but I'm going to try."

 

Stephanie's father, Doug Mah Poy, praised Michael Butler.

 

"Throughout her entire life Stephanie was a very happy girl, and throughout our entire relationship with her and Mike has never been anything but 100% quality," he said.

 

"Your marriage may have been short, but we have [Mike] to thank for a happiness in our daughter we had never seen until she met [him]."

 

After the ceremony, Butler spoke to the Edmonton Sun.

 

"A lot of friends have come to support us, it's been amazing."

 

"My life goals have changed overnight since Stephanie was killed. I used to want to build a house, make money and have a family. Now I can't have those things, but I want to help make sure others can."

 

Butler repeated his pledge calling for changes to drug laws and mental health issues.

 

Having already met with Edmonton police Chief Mike Boyd and Mayor Stephen Mandel, he planned to visit the federal justice minister in Ottawa in May.

 

"There are no half-measures in life."

 

"There should be none in death, and I'm going to try and be part of the solution to bring safety back to our cities."

 

Butler said his wife’s death is doubly tragic because he can no longer have a relationship with his brother.

 

“At this point he can be burned at the stake for all I care. I loved him when we were younger, but the drugs turned him into a zombie I haven’t known or loved for quite some time. It’s one of the hardest things I’ll ever have to deal with,” he earlier told the Sun.

 

A “letter-writing class” was scheduled for after the funeral where family and friends of Stephanie could sign letters to Premier Ed Stelmach, urging the province to put more resources into drug treatment programs. 

 

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On May 9th, 2007 Kenneth Butler made a brief court appearance and was charged with second-degree murder in connection with his sister-in-law's death. He was also charged with two breaches of recognizance.

Butler continues to undergo an extensive psychological assessment at Alberta Hospital before a plea can be entered to the charges against him.

"It is essentially to assess his state of mind," Crown prosecutor Anne Schutte told the court. "Criminal responsibility is an issue here."

The news of charges being laid in connection with his wife's murder reached Michael Butler, at the time travelling through Ontario. Butler was visiting Ottawa and Toronto as part of his campaign seeking better treatment for drug addicted and mentally ill Canadians, along with changes to the justice system.

"Everyone is heartbroken – there are no words to express how my family is feeling right now," Butler said.

"This should never have happened. My brother was let down, my wife was let down, I've been let down and there are a lot of people out there who are still being let down," Michael Butler said.

Kenneth Butler was set to make his next court appearance on June 8th, 2007. He remains in custody at the provincial mental health facility.

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Crown lawyer Anne Schutte, along with John Watson, most recently prosecuted Michael Briscoe and Joseph Laboucan, charged with the first-degree murder of Nina Courtepatte.

Schutte also prosecuted Shane Thomas Anderson, charged with manslaughter in the beating death of Brandon Joseph Klein; and Michael Shawn Ivany, charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of James Patrick Wilson