Family of murder victim witnessing slow grind of justice in case of David Knox charged with killing Chantelle Ruhl
Jury trial for Knox who is also charged with indignity to human remains, obstruction of justice could be many months down the road
April 21, 2026
Exactly one year after her body was found, David Dalton Knox, who is charged with the second-degree murder of 37-year-old Chantelle Ruhl and interference with a dead body, appeared briefly in Chilliwack provincial court via video from pre-trial custody on Tuesday (April 21, 2026).
Knox was originally charged with manslaughter for killing Ruhl whose body was found near the Southern Rail line behind the old Canadian Tire in Chilliwack on Vedder Road on April 21, 2025.
That charge was later upgraded to second-degree murder. He is also charged with interference with a dead body, and two counts of attempting to pervert/defeat/obstruct justice.
One of the new charges of attempting to pervert/defeat/obstruct justice is an allegation from April 19, 2025, the day of the alleged murder. The other allegation is dated April 27.
In January, Knox opted for a trial in BC Supreme Court with judge and jury.
Chantelle Ruhl (left) in a high-school graduation photo, and David Knox in 2006 after he was arrested for shooting up a classroom at Sardis Secondary School with an airsoft gun. (Facebook, Progress archives)
He appeared in Chilliwack provincial court via video from the Surrey Pretrial Centre on Tuesday with several supporters in attendance.
Provincial court appearances in Chilliwack held on Tuesdays tend to be procedural, quick ones where nothing substantive takes place. They tend to be used to do things such as fix future dates, to update the court on the progress of the proceedings, and to consult legal counsel.
The court heard Tuesday that prior to Knox's jury trial will be a lengthy preliminary hearing prior to which will be a pre-trial conference. It is unlikely a trial will be held before 2027.
The case in provincial court was put over one week to April 28 at 10 a.m. for another fix-date appearance. Knox is also due in BC Supreme Court on April 27 for a brief appearance.
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Paul J. Henderson
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