Search continues for body of woman presumed murdered as accused killers appear in court

One of the men accused of murdering a woman after luring her to his rooming house in Calgary's northeast was on probation at the time of the homicide.

Steven Aaron Zwick, 26, and Paul Joseph Rushton, 52, each face a charge of first-degree murder.

They're accused of killing Chelsea Davidenas, 29, whose body hasn't been found. A search was underway Thursday east of the city.

Court records show Rushton lives at the home on Rundlehorn Drive N.E. where police say the murder took place.

Last May, Rushton was convicted on a voyeurism charge involving surreptitiously recording intimate images or video of a woman.

According to Alberta Justice, Rushton has a "fairly lengthy" criminal history.

Most recently, he was handed an eight-month jail sentence to be followed by 18 months on probation, which means Rushton was under court-ordered conditions at the time of the homicide.

When Zwick was arrested this week for the murder, he was also wanted on dozens of other charges, including assault, resisting a peace officer, five weapons offences, possession of drugs, break and enter and 14 charges for breaching court orders.

Zwick and Rushton both made brief court appearances via closed-circuit television on Thursday. Zwick's lawyer Andrea Urquhart put the case over to April 18, the same date Rushton will also return to update the court on his efforts to retain counsel.

Targeted because of sex work

The two men, described by investigators as acquaintances, are accused of luring Davidenas to the house under the pretense of a date.

Davidenas worked in Calgary's sex trade and police say she was targeted for that reason.

Police believe Davidenas was killed hours after she was last seen on Feb. 17.

Three days later, her body was removed from the home and dumped in a rural area near Chestermere, investigators say.

At a news conference Wednesday, Staff Sgt. Mark Rahn said only one of the two men was involved in getting rid of the body. That man is trying to help police find the victim's remains but is struggling to pinpoint the exact location.

The Calgary Search and Rescue Association joined officers in their efforts on Thursday, according to police.