Man and woman charged in slaying of 4 people in Calgary but investigation is 'full steam ahead'

Murder charges have been laid against aman and a woman in connection withthe July slayings of four people found dead in Calgary over a two-day period, and police now say all six people involved were known to each other.

TewodrosMutugetaKebede, 25, and YuChiehLiao, 25 who were identified as persons of interest three weeks after the killingsare charged with first-degree murder in the death ofHanockAfowerk, 26, and three counts of accessory after the fact in the slayings of Cody Pfeiffer, 25, and sistersTiffany Ear, 39, andGlynnisFox, 36.

The bodies of Pfeiffer, Ear and Fox were discoveredin a burned-out car in Calgary on May 10, 2017. Two days later,Afowerk'sremains were found near a road west of the city.

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Homicide charges still have not been laid in connection withthe three victims found in the vehicle, and althoughKebedeandLiaoare also consideredsuspects in those deaths,Insp. PaulWozneysaidthe investigation is "full steam ahead" and police believe there are others involved.

Investigators link victims to accused

Police are now backtracking on prior statements thatthe victims found in the vehicle were in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

"All six of these people were known to one another," said Wozney. "Investigative theories sometimes change."

Investigators believe the suspects may have burned clothing near the Canadian Forces base in Moose Jaw, Sask., or at a nearby airport and are asking locals, particularly farmers in that area of Saskatchewan, to keep an eye out for suspicious-looking burned items.

"If you're scared, if you feel intimidated, we would be able to provide you with assistance if you come forward with information," said Wozney.

LiaoandKebedemade brief appearances in a Calgary courtroom on Wednesday.Liaowas in person, whileKebedemade a video appearancefrom the Calgary Remand Centre. The case was put over for three weeks whileKebedelooks for a lawyer.

Kebedeis also accused of wearing a disguise and possessing a gun during an armed robberyagainst a husband and wife onJune 29, 2017,which is believed to be unrelated to the homicides.

On July 10, the first three victims Pfeiffer, Fox and Ear were found dead in a burned-out car in the northwest Calgary neighbourhood of Sage Hill.

Afowerk, who owned the vehicle, was found deceased two days later west of Calgary near the traffic circle where Highway 22 and Highway 8 meet.

Police said they believed all four deaths wereconnected and that the three people in the car werecaught up in a targeted attack againstAfowerk.

• 3 victims in quadruple homicide in 'wrong place at the wrong time,' Calgary police believe

Pfeifferwas described by a friend as "a small town kid with a big heart."

The sisters were described by family members as"beautiful souls" who leftbehind 16 children between them.

A cousin said Fox and Ear, who were born and raised in Morleyan Indigenouscommunity west of Calgary had a difficult youth and still struggled at times in adulthood.

Police in other cities thanked

Two weeks after the bodies were discovered,Kebedewas taken into custody in Torontoon drug charges unrelated to the homicides.

Days after that, police arrestedLiao, who had been identified as a person of interest in connection with the killings, in Toronto.She waswanted on a Canada-wide warrant for fraud.

At the time, police saidLiaowas believed tohave played a "significant role" in what officers described as the brutal andruthless slayingof four people.

Kebedehas a criminal history in Toronto, including convictions for assault and drug trafficking.

Other policing agencies including Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, RCMP and the Toronto guns and gangs unit have "bent over backwards" to help Calgary police with what Wozney described as a "complex" investigation.