Editor’s note: The following story contains graphic details which some readers may find disturbing.
Charabelle and Lynzee Silverfox have entered guilty pleas relating to the December 2017 killing of Derek Edwards.
Both sisters were charged with first degree murder, forcible confinement and interference with or indignity to a dead body.
On the day of trial, March 28, both sisters entered guilty pleas. Charabelle pleaded guilty to a lesser second degree murder charge in Edwards’ death and Lynzee pleaded guilty to the interference with a dead body charge. The court stayed the other charges each faced.
The guilty pleas were accompanied with an agreed statement of facts that described the night Edwards was killed.
Charabelle was 26 years old and Lynzee was 19 on December 12, 2017. The statements of fact described how both sisters consumed alcohol during the afternoon of Dec. 12 and into the early morning hours of Dec. 13 at two homes in Pelly Crossing. The statements of fact says that at the second location, Charabelle’s house, Edwards, Charabelle, Lynzee and Lynzee’s partner Vance Cardinal all continued drinking.
The statement of facts says that Lynzee and Cardinal went into one of the bedrooms of the house, leaving Edwards and Charabelle alone in the living room. It says that Charabelle awoke to Edwards trying to remove her pants and yelled for Lynzee and Cardinal.
It then describes a violent altercation in the living room and basement of the house in which Charabelle and Cardinal seriously injured Edwards. In the statement of fact, Charabelle admits to stabbing Edwards in the chest and shooting him in the head with arrows from a compound bow.
The separate statement of facts detailing the offence that Lynzee plead guilty to states that she slept through the initial violence but was awoken by a loud noise and came downstairs to see Charabelle shooting arrows at Edwards, whose throat had already been cut. Cardinal was also present and pushed Lynzee to the ground before leaving the house.
“Lynzee could see that Mr. Edwards was deceased on the basement floor. He was not moving. Lynzee delivered a number of punches to Mr. Edwards’ face,” the statement reads.
The statement of facts says that Lynzee and Charabelle pulled Edwards’ body onto a tarp and that Lynzee attempted to mop up some blood that was on the living room floor.
An autopsy after the fact found Edwards had been stabbed 13 times, suffered 18 puncture wounds consistent with arrow injuries, a deep slash to his throat and other injuries. In the statement of facts Charabelle doesn’t admit to causing all the injuries but acknowledges culpability for the fatal injuries.
A family member of the Silverfoxes was called to the house in the early hours of the morning on December 13 and placed a 911 call after seeing the scene in the house’s basement. According to the statement of facts Lynzee and Charabelle attempted to stop her from calling police and then left for a neighbouring house where they would be arrested later that morning.
The Silverfoxes made a further appearance on March 29 and will be back in court on April 5 to fix a date for sentencing.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com