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Man charged in 2018 Chilliwack murder faces long wait for next court date

Harry Christensen is next scheduled to appear Jan. 24, 2024 for a preliminary inquiry
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Kyle Cromarty, 27, was killed in Chilliwack on Oct. 4, 2018. (File)

An Alberta man charged with committing murder in Chilliwack is slowly making his way through the court system.

Harry Christensen appeared at the Chilliwack Law Courts Monday (June 5). He faces a count of first degree murder in the 2018 killing of 27-year-old Kyle Cromarty. This latest appearance saw a preliminary inquiry scheduled for Jan. 24, 2024. A preliminary inquiry is used in serious criminal cases to determine whether there is enough evidence to warrant going to trial.

Specifics from Christensen’s court appearances can’t be revealed due to a publication ban and fears that any information that comes out may influence a judge or jury if he does go to trial. What’s known from previous reporting in The Progress is that he was arrested by an RCMP cold case unit on Nov. 25, 2022, more than four years after Cromarty died.

RELATED: Alberta man charged with first-degree murder in 2018 Chilliwack cold case

Around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 4, 2018, police responded to reports of shots fired in the area of Yale Road and Menzies Street. They found Cromarty at the scene, mortally wounded. Police focused their attention on the parking lot of the condominium complex on the north side of Yale Road just east of what is now a Dollarama parking lot. At the time it was an IGA.

Witnesses gave slightly differing stories. A boy said he heard one shot and saw a man running away. Another witness said he was walking with his son across the street when he heard two shots. According to police, Cromarty didn’t have any known links to gangs and wasn’t known to police, but the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) confirmed the killing was targeted.

“This case is a testament to the resiliency and commitment of the IHIT members,” Sgt. Timothy Pierotti of IHIT said in a press release when Christensen was arrested. “Our investigators continue to dedicate themselves to these cases, long after the initial call comes in.”


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eric.welsh@theprogress.com

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Eric Welsh

About the Author: Eric Welsh

I joined the Chilliwack Progress in 2007, originally hired as a sports reporter.
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