Update
This story has been updated with information from Alberta Justice, as well as Duncan's next court appearance.
The mom of a slain Edmonton woman says she and her family will be in court wearing shirts with her daughter's face on it, should second-degree murder charges go to trial.
"She'll be forever my angel," said Tara Schamber, mother of Breianna Schamber.
On Friday morning, the Edmonton Police Service announced it had charged Hunter Alexander Duncan, 23, of St. Albert with second-degree murder the day prior. The charges come seven months after police found Breianna, 25, dead inside her home near 35 Ave. and 107 St. in Edmonton's Duggan neighbourhood on Dec. 3.
An autopsy determined Breianna had died by strangulation, and that the death was a homicide.
EPS spokesperson Scott Pattison said in an email that the death was not related to domestic violence.
Alberta Justice reports that Duncan has a criminal record dating back to 2016 and has previously been sentenced for arson, assault, mischief, theft and unlawful confinement.
News of Duncan's arrest brought no comfort to Tara.
“It’s like it just happened again,” she said, speaking from her home near Coutts, Alta.
“I thought it would be bring me peace, but I’m so angry.”
Tara described her daughter as someone who was fiercely loyal and loved by everyone.
“She had beautiful, long blonde hair and blue eyes that just cut into you,” she said – her great-grandfather called her “Bluebird” for that reason.
“If she loved you, she loved you with every beat of her heart.”
Tara said Breianna had struggled with addiction for the last few years but had gotten her life on track and was earning a degree in hotel management. She, her boyfriend and her boyfriend’s cousin had recently moved into the home where she was found and had paid the rent a few days before.
Breianna would have been packing her bags for a trip to visit her five-year-old son Damian on Dec. 3, said Tara, who has been raising him on her behalf for the last three years.
“He’s asked all along what happened to his mom,” Tara said of Damian, adding that she’s told him of last week’s arrest.
"Every time I see a bluebird, I'll be reminded of her."
Duncan is next scheduled to appear in Edmonton Provincial Court on July 3.
