The man accused of killing Mary Anne May previously spent nearly three years in prison for his role in a crash that killed an OPP officer and two teenage girls.
Court documents show that Kevin Koehler, 49, pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death on Aug. 7, 1985.
Less than one week earlier, he had been involved in a high-speed chase that ended in tragedy near Walkerton.
Christine Lindsay and Helen Wattam – passengers in Koehler’s vehicle – were killed, as was Const. Donald Campbell, an OPP officer.
More recently, Koehler shared an apartment on Margaret Avenue in Kitchener with Mary Anne May.
May’s body was found near the Grand River last fall, and Koehler was charged with second-degree murder in late March.
Birgit Lingenberg, a friend of May’s, says the 55-year-old expressed concern about living with Koehler – but felt there was little she could do about it.
“It all goes down to poverty. Sometimes people have to … live with somebody that they don’t want to live with,” Lingenberg tells CTV News.
Koehler made a brief court appearance Wednesday via video.
He remains in custody with his next court date set for April 22.