Trial begins for man accused of killing his grandmother Viola Erb

The trial of Erick Buhr, the man accused of killing his grandmother Viola Erb in 2022, got underway on Tuesday.

Buhr has pled not guilty to a second-degree murder charge.

Erb’s death

Erb was found dead in her home, just outside of Baden, on Sept. 24, 2022.

According to her obituary, the 88-year-old “passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.”

Waterloo Regional Police and the Office of the Chief Coroner later determined her death was suspicious, however they did not say how Erb died or why it was believed to be a homicide.

Buhr was charged with second-degree murder five days after Erb’s death.

Emergency services respond to a home on Sandhills Road on Saturday Sept. 24, 2022. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)

Trial: Day 1

The day began with the selection of 14 jurors and two alternates, followed by opening statements from the Crown.

Prosecutors laid out their case for jury.

They stated Buhr was the one who called 911. He allegedly told the operator “my grandma’s been murdered” and declined to do CPR, saying she was “done.”

When first responders arrived at the home, said Crown Prosecutor Jennifer Caskie, they found blood in the foyer and the kitchen. Erb, she added, was barely clinging to life.

“Badly injured,” said Caskie. “But perhaps not ‘done’ as Erick Buhr told 911.”

Despite efforts by first responders to save her life, Erb died at her home.

Viola Erb. (Mark Jutzi Funeral Home)

The Crown said there was no evidence of forced entry at the residence and Buhr, who was 39-years-old at the time, claimed he was in a forest at the time of the murder.

He told the 911 operator that he had no idea who committed the crime.

The Crown calls that a lie.

“Erick Buhr knew very well who killed Viola Erb,” Caskie said.

She explained that police found a pile of clothes in Buhr’s bedroom, which included a pair of bloody jeans.

It was later confirmed that the blood belong to Erb and Buhr’s DNA was on the waistband.

The Crown’s statements are not evidence, but only a summary of what they hope to prove to jurors during the trial.

The prosecution is expected to call their first witness on Wednesday.

Erb’s legacy

Viola was born in Alberta but later moved to Kitchener where she met and married her husband Vernon Erb.

The couple co-founded Erb Transport in 1959 and is now one of the biggest trucking companies in the country.

Erb worked there as a dispatcher, bookkeeper and payroll administrator.