Two more people charged in 2022 Chipman murder case

Two additional people have now been charged in the murder of Brandon Donelan, whose body was found in Chipman in 2022.

On Wednesday, first-degree murder charges were laid against Devon Mark Hood and Matthew David LeBlanc. They were arrested Tuesday at the Dorchester Penitentiary where they were serving time for unrelated charges, an RCMP news release said.

They join Erica Blyth and Joshua McIsaac, who were both previously charged with first-degree murder in the same case on June 30. 

The four people are charged in the case of Brandon Donelan of Minto, whose body was discovered in a wooded area off a snowmobile trail on March 31, 2022 after being missing for more than two months.

Hood and LeBlanc were remanded into custody and are scheduled to appear in Fredericton court on Oct. 25.

Blyth and McIsaac also remain in custody, and neither has entered a plea yet.

A preliminary inquiry into Donelan's homicide will be held on April 5, 19 and 26.

The federal Department of Justice says a preliminary inquiry is used in serious criminal cases to determine whether the evidence gathered by the Crown against an accused person is sufficient to proceed with a trial.