Accused killer Justin Bone took the witness stand on July 8, 2026, in his second-degree murder trial for the deaths of two men in Edmonton's Chinatown in 2022. Dressed in black pants and a black collared shirt with his dark hair shaved into a narrow mohawk, Bone was accompanied by two sheriffs and stood to the judge’s left with his hands and ankles in cuffs.
Bone’s Testimony Details
More than 1,500 days after his arrest, Bone recounted the days leading up to the killings of Hung Trang and Ban Phuc Hoang, who were beaten to death on May 18, 2022. Over more than three hours of testimony, Bone described wandering Edmonton after being kicked out of an Alberta Beach home where he briefly lived following his release from jail.
Bone portrayed himself as a responsible man trying to get his life back on track, insisting he called his probation officer seeking emergency housing. Instead, he ended up bouncing around Edmonton, using drugs, and meeting a strange cast of characters. After smoking what he thought was marijuana, Bone said he lost almost all of his memory before waking up in a police cell.
Background and Legal Delays
Bone’s trial began in January after repeated delays, many stemming from his decision to fire a succession of lawyers during pre-trial proceedings. He also pursued a rare court application seeking public funding for a lawyer who does not take legal aid clients, before settling on defence counsel David Wolsey. The trial has featured an abuse of process application from Bone, arguing RCMP officers set the stage for the killings by taking him to Edmonton in breach of a release order banning him from the city. Justice Paul Belzil dismissed the motion.
Bone, 40, has spent a significant part of his adult life in and out of jail. On April 29, 2022, he was released on bail to the Alberta Beach home of a man who had been in a relationship with Bone’s deceased uncle. Bone planned to stay until he could secure a spot at Recovery Acres, a drug rehab facility.
Conflict at Alberta Beach Home
Bone initially enjoyed his stay, including 10 days alone reading books while the man was on vacation. However, tensions boiled over when the man approached him for sexual favours, Bone claimed. “I was desperate at this time, and I was dumb enough to give in to him,” he testified. The two later argued after the man refused to buy a joint for Bone at a nearby cannabis store. “It got to the point we were both yelling at each other,” Bone said. “I said, ‘You’re lucky I have respect for you for taking care of my uncle, or else I’d knock your a– out.’”
