Calgary drug dealer who directed fatal attack pleads guilty to manslaughter

Meghan Grant · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 3:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

A Calgary cause trader pleaded blameworthy to manslaughter Friday, admitting helium gave a motion that initiated a fatal beating, drugging and dismemberment of a young antheral who owed him $300. 

Darren Bulldog's second-degree execution proceedings was to statesman Monday, but negotiations betwixt defence lawyer Anna Konye and prosecutors Aaron Rankin and Britta Kristensen led to Friday's plea. 

Keanan Crane was fatally attacked connected April 7, 2022. Parts of his dismembered assemblage were recovered a period aboriginal connected the Mînî Thnî First Nation, formerly known arsenic Morley. 

Court of King's Bench Justice David Labrenz volition perceive sentencing arguments successful May. 

An agreed connection of facts detailing the transgression was work by Rankin. 

'His pleas were ignored'

Court heard that successful 2022, Crane had spiralled into cause addiction aft the decease of his grandmother, who had raised him.

By April 2022, Crane was stateless and dealing drugs for Bulldog but had mislaid immoderate of the merchandise and owed Bulldog about $300.

On the nighttime helium was killed, Crane showed up astatine the location of Jason Tait, on with 2 friends. Several radical were astatine Tait's location astatine the time. 

Shortly aft the unfortunate arrived, Bulldog confronted him astir the indebtedness and past "signalled" to the others successful the room, who began to battle the 22-year-old.

In a abstracted trial, prosecutors suggested Tait and Bulldog were expecting Crane, and that Bulldog gave a motion to initiate the attack. 

As helium was being kicked, Crane begged to talk with Bulldog astir the wealth but, according to the agreed connection of facts, "his pleas were ignored."

• Victim beaten, drugged, dismembered, jurors perceive connected Day 1 of Calgary manslaughter trial

The attackers bound Bulldog's hands and feet with duct portion and past administered a "hot shot" — a lethal dose of fentanyl.  

Crane's assemblage was past taken to a bathroom, wherever helium was dismembered. 

During the attack, Crane's 2 friends were prevented from leaving and their cellphones were taken from them. They were besides "threatened with unit if they spoke astir what they saw," according to the agreed connection of facts. 

Bulldog attempted to intimidate witness

Bulldog forced the brace to constitute down their addresses.

A period later, immoderate of Crane's remains were recovered westbound of the city. In the aforesaid area, constabulary recovered a cigaret butt with Bulldog's DNA connected it. 

Last month, Tait was convicted of accessory aft the information to execution and has yet to beryllium sentenced. 

In the weeks aft the attack, Bulldog showed up astatine the location of Crane's person and "attempted to intimidate [the man] into not speaking to anyone" astir the killing.