The lawyer for a man accused of murdering a Potter’s Hands affordable housing resident wants his client moved from the Edmonton Remand Centre.
Kim Ross told Red Deer provincial court Judge Jim Hunter that he’s had difficulty reaching his client, Mark William Bitterman, 31, in Edmonton.
“That’s been part of the difficulty in moving this file forward,” said Ross.
Ross is from Calgary.
Bitterman appeared in court on Friday through a closed-circuit video link with the Edmonton Remand Centre.
Ross asked the judge to recommend that his client be moved to the Red Deer or Calgary remand centres. Hunter agreed to make the recommendation.
Bitterman was charged with first-degree murder in June in connection with the death of Curtis Leroy Rangen.
Rangen’s body was found in a freezer inside his Red Deer apartment on May 3.
Police allege that Rangen was killed during a break-in at his home.
Since Bitterman’s arrest, his case has returned to court almost a dozen times.
Bitterman also faces numerous other charges, including multiple counts of robbery, theft, extortion, using brass knuckles and firearms to commit offences among others.
Police allege that Bitterman and two others lured escort clients online and then beat and robbed them when they showed up for their appointments.
His case returns to court on Jan. 2.