Police investigating the death of Daniel Levesque have been granted another extension to hold onto evidence belonging to Josh Tyler Bredo.
An order issued in a Victoria court on Dec. 11, by Judge Ernest Quantz allows investigators to hold onto a BlackBerry mobile phone, a shirt, jeans, a ring and a bracelet belonging to Bredo until Dec. 21.
This is the third extension police have been given to hold onto the evidence.
Levesque was found dead in a Victoria apartment on Aug. 3, 2011. Bredo was later charged with second-degree murder in connection with his death.
However, the charges were stayed on Dec. 9, 2011, after a report by pathologist Dr. Carol Lee concluded Levesque died of cocaine toxicity. The report also said he had two circular wounds on the back of his head, consistent with being struck by a hammer.
In March, police gained their first extension to hold onto the evidence. At the same time, they said they had asked the pathologist to review the findings of the report.
When the review came back in August, Dr. Lee said the principal cause of Levesque's death was, "consistent with cocaine toxicity in the setting of physical trauma," wrote Louise Dickson of the Victoria Times Colonist.
At an application hearing in August, primary investigator RCMP Const. Margo Downey said she was seeking an independent pathologist to review the cause of Levesque's death. A judge gave police until Dec. 8 to hold onto evidence.
Downey's initial affidavit, filed in court in March, said police were concerned Lee was relying on incomplete, inaccurate and unsubstantiated information, reported Dickson.
At the latest hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 11, a further extension was granted.
Victoria police spokesperson Const. Mike Russell said the investigation was ongoing but he would not provide any more details.