Brampton man accused of killing Orillia man on walking trail hires lawyer

Devon Alamina (L) and Justin Van Allen (R) are pictured in this split screen image. (Supplied)

Warning: Details in this article may be disturbing and triggering to readers.

A Brampton, Ont., man accused of second-degree murder has hired a lawyer to defend him.

Devon Alamina made a brief court appearance Thursday afternoon from jail in London, where he informed the court that Brendan Neil will be his defence counsel.

• What we know about the man charged with murder on an Orillia walking path

Neil, when reached by CTV News, confirmed he will be representing Alamina as he awaits disclosure from the prosecution.

Alamina, 33, has been in custody since June 2, charged with second-degree murder following the death of 47-year-old Justin Van Allen along the Scout Valley Trail in Orillia.

Alamina is accused of stabbing the Orillia husband and father of five. CTV News has learned Van Allen, as he had often done along the popular trail, was walking his dogs when he was attacked.

• Brampton man charged with second-degree murder in connection to suspicious death on Orillia trail

Investigators said at about 7 p.m. Alamina was arrested following the discovery of a man in distress with serious injuries. Police initially described the investigation as a suspicious death.

According to documents obtained by CTV News, Alamina was convicted and sentenced to 60 days in custody in February for assault with a weapon and failing to comply with a probation order for similar charges in Caledon in June 2025.

Alamina has been at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre in London for two weeks.

Court documents reveal Alamina was banned from possessing weapons for two years when provincial police said Alamina assaulted a person at a grocery store in early June 2025 in Caledon before slashing a person’s car tyre the next day in a parking lot along Highway 50.

• ‘It cannot be normalized’: Orillia councillor demands change after father of five killed along city trail

Police charged Alamina with assault with a weapon, mischief, and possession of drugs, along with failing to comply with two release orders.

Alamina is next scheduled to appear in a virtual courtroom in July. The allegations against him have not been tested in court.