Number of homicides nears record
‘Great health care ... saved a lot of lives,’ say Saskatoon police about 2018 tally
Charges have been laid in seven of the nine homicide cases Saskatoon police logged in 2018.
That’s below the record number of 10, set in 2010 and repeated in 2016.
Leaders of the city police major crimes unit say 2018 was not unique, but it could have been worse.
“If we go back to our health care, we’ve got great health care that’s saved a lot of lives,” said Staff Sgt. Vince Ashmeade, who heads the unit. “I know that we have evolved in the way we investigate files when compared to, let’s say, 2006 and I imagine health care has evolved also.
“If we had the same type of incidents we had now back in 2006, our numbers may have been quite a bit different.”
The way police investigate homicides in Saskatoon has also changed greatly in recent years, Ashmeade said. In 2006, a homicide would have two dedicated investigators.
“Now, when a call comes in for a homicide, I’m fortunate that I have the capacity to call in numerous investigators, that could range from about two to about 20, if not more,” he said.
Does he have a message for whoever is responsible for the two unsolved homicides? He says he would encourage them to speak with police.
“In our files, we have one side of the story,” he said. “There might be another side that they have.”
1
Evan Brandon
Age: 24
Date of death: Jan. 4, 2018. Brandon was stabbed on Dec. 20, 2017. Doctors initially said his injuries were not life-threatening, but he died at Royal University Hospital.
Charges: As of Dec. 6, 2018, no one had been charged in the death.
2
John Mcpherson
Age: 60
Date of death: Dec. 31, 2017. Mcpherson was technically the last death of 2017, but police did not discover his body in the 100 block of Cope Crescent until Jan. 7, 2018.
Charges: 35-year-old Alistair Duncan Stewart is charged with first-degree murder, unlawful confinement and robbery in connection with Mcpherson’s death. He is committed for trial at Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench, but a trial date has not been set.
3
James J.J. Chaisson
Age: 28
Date of death: Feb. 14, 2018. Chaisson was found dead in the early hours of Feb. 14 in the 100 block of Avenue P South. He was originally from North Battleford, but friends said he spent most of his life in Saskatoon. They described him as “real kind.”
Charges: Brandin Brick Cole, 26, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with Chaisson’s death. He’s set for a preliminary hearing in March 2019 at Saskatoon Provincial Court.
4
Colin Sutherland
Age: 54
Date of death: April 1, 2018. Sutherland’s body was found in an apartment in the 200 block of Fifth Avenue North just before midnight on April 1, 2018. Family members said he was a person who wanted the best for “everybody around them.”
Charges: Thirty-year-old Sheritta Kahpeaysewat is charged with second-degree murder in connection with Sutherland’s death. She’s committed for trial at Saskatoon’s Court of Queen’s Bench, but a trial date has not been set.
5
Cadence O’soup
Age: 15
Date of death: June 3, 2018. O’soup, who was found fatally injured in the 500 block of Avenue J South, was remembered by family members as a “funny” and “outgoing” teenager.
Charges: A 16-year-old girl who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act is charged with criminal negligence causing death. She was set to appear in court on Dec. 21, possibly to enter a plea.
6
Crystal Louise Mcfadyen
Age: 37
Date of death: July 6, 2018. Mcfadyen’s body was found in a burned house in the 200 block of Avenue F North after she was reported missing by her family on July 3, 2018. She was eight months pregnant at the time of her death. Charges: Jonathan Alexander Rosenthal, 39, was charged on Nov. 14 with first-degree murder in connection with her death. He’s also charged with offering an indignity to human remains. He made bail in August and was scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 13, 2018.
7
Ken Peter Balan
Age: 27
Date of death: July 6, 2018. Balan was found injured in the 1400 block of 20th Street West on July 6, 2018, and died at St. Paul’s Hospital a short time later. Charges: Blair Prokopetz, 26, who police say knew Balan, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with Balan’s death. He’s set for a preliminary hearing in provincial court on Jan. 25, 2019.
8
Elijah Kozak
Age: 24
Date of death: Aug. 10, 2018. Police found Kozak injured in the hallway of an apartment building in the 200 block of Fifth Avenue North on Aug. 10, 2018. He died later in hospital as a result of his injuries. Family described him in an obituary as a “gentle, loving, generous and funny guy.” Charges: Duran Laplante, 22, is charged with first-degree murder. Laplante’s next court date is Jan. 9, 2019.
9
Victor James Hagel
Age: 23
Date of death: Aug. 11, 2018. Hagel was found dead in an apartment complex in the 200 block of Avenue B South. His obituary indicated that he died “tragically and suddenly.”
Charges: No charges have been laid in connection with his death.