The man charged with killing a kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) First Nation councillor was in a courtroom yesterday (Aug. 23).
David Frank Hall will be back before the Abbotsford Law Courts on Oct. 13 in connection with the death of his former spouse Stephanie Patterson.
Hall, who has been in custody since his arrest, is alleged to have murdered the mother-of-three in Mission on Aug. 11.
Patterson, 44, was reported missing to the Coquitlam RCMP on Aug. 12 after leaving the Coquitlam reserve the night before with Hall.
She was last seen Aug. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Meadowvale Shopping Centre on Lougheed Highway in Pitt Meadows.
According to court records, Hall — the brother of former kʷikʷəƛ̓əm chief Ed Hall — has two convictions dating back to 2007.
He was banned from driving for a year and fined $500 for driving while prohibited/licence suspended in Port Coquitlam; a year later, he was charged with uttering threats to commit or cause death or bodily harm in Mission, for which he received a year-long probation order from an Abbotsford judge.
Under the Criminal Code of Canada, a second-degree murder conviction carries a sentence of life in prison.
In a statement, Kwikwetlem Chief Ron Giesbrecht thanked the police, media and members of the public for helping to find Patterson.
"The entire Nation is grieving this tragic and sudden loss and we appreciate the outpouring of support, love and condolences we have been receiving from throughout the Lower Mainland."
Patterson was elected to Kwikwetlem council in March, along with Giesbrecht and Coun. George Chaffee.
