Ashley Smith-Ames of Rocky Mountain House, seen here with her five-year-old son Keegan, was the victim of what police describe as a domestic homicide on July 26, 2019. (Supplied)

By Sheldon Spackman

Domestic Homicide

Dates set for Rocky Mountain House murder trial

Feb 3, 2020 | 1:14 PM

Trial dates have now been set for a man accused in the shooting death of a Rocky Mountain House woman and the attempted murder of her sister last summer.

Marshall Lawrence Stone, 45, of Rocky Mountain House, appeared via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench on Monday, and learned he will have a three-week judge and jury trial from June 14-July 2, 2021.

Stone is charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder with a firearm in the July 27, 2019 incident in which Rocky Mountain House RCMP responded to several 911 complaints of a male with a gun at a residence.

Upon arrival, Mounties found a 28-year-old woman deceased at the scene and a 29-year-old woman suffering from non-life threatening injuries. Three children were also inside the residence but not injured.

The deceased was later identified as Ashley Smith-Ames. An autopsy determined her cause of death to be a gunshot wound.

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The injured woman was identified as Ashley’s sister, Alexis Ames.

The suspect had fled the scene before police arrived on-scene but later turned himself in.

Stone’s case returns to court Apr. 28 for a pre-trial conference.

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