Warning: This article contains details that may be disturbing and triggering to readers.
Brothers-in-law Brendon Blanchard and John ‘Eddy’ Gagnon appear headed for trial accused of second-degree murder following the disappearance of 34-year-old Derek Perry three years ago in Alliston.
Blanchard, 26, and Gagnon, 31, sat in a Barrie courtroom earlier this month for their preliminary hearing along with co-accused Krystal Carleton.
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The men are charged with second-degree murder and committing an indignity to a dead body.
Carleton, 37, also faces the indignity charge and is accused of being an accessory after-the-fact to murder.
Court documents obtained by CTV News revealed police believe Carleton helped Gagnon and Blanchard escape between April 16 and 20, 2023.
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Derek Perry had been reported missing by loved ones in June 2023.
He is presumed dead.
Last summer police said Perry’s disappearance became a homicide investigation but would not reveal whether or where Perry’s remains have been found.
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Carleton was granted bail last summer after spending six months in jail following a $50,000 pledge to the court by sureties, under strict house arrest conditions that included Carleton wearing a GPS ankle monitor.
Those in the area said police were on scene at a home along Beattie Avenue in Alliston days prior to Blanchard, Gagnon, and Carleton being arrested.
RELATED: Brendon Blanchard charged in connection with the alleged murder of Derek Perry
Both Gagnon and Blanchard remain behind bars. Blanchard, who has convictions for mischief, theft and uttering threats, was previously arrested in late 2024 for mischief and shoplifting charges.
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Any evidence heard during the preliminary hearing is protected by a publication ban.
The accused return to virtual courtrooms in September. The allegations against them have not been tested in court.
