last link on the left › homicide 2011: life and death on Edmonton's streets

Revised March 6th, 2012.

Edmonton's 2011 murder meter officially rests at 48 – handily smashing the city's previous record of 39 set in 2005.

After two years of just 27 deaths (the lowest annual totals since 2003), the city re-claimed its Murder Capital of Canada title and then some.

The first homicide call of the year reached detectives at 3:00 a.m. on January first after 23-year-old Somali-Canadian Mohamud Mohamed Jama had been shot dead in the Papyrus Lounge. The last call came in at 3:00 p.m. on December 31st when a maintenance man checking a leak in a Jasper Avenue condo led police to the discovery of 27-year-old Misty Lynn Ward's dismembered body in a bathtub.

The year also ended with two suspicious deaths awaiting toxicology tests, and one case that had been "suspended" – a status police had never given a case previously.

Update: on March 6th, 2012, police announced that one of the suspicious deaths had been declared a homicide, bringing 2011's total to 48.

When the year began, the Edmonton Police Service was without a chief after Mike Boyd stepped down in late 2010 to look after his aging parents in Ontario. His four-year tenure was a bumpy one with more than a few memorable moments.

In May 2008, Boyd was forced to speak out when others saw his officers as fair game.

"Our police officers are not punching bags ... and neither are any of our citizens who are being attacked out there," Boyd said.

"I can tell you the full force of the law will be brought to bear on this problem. We are going to clean it up. We need to clean it up. This is our city, and we're not going to allow people to destroy a good thing."

In the end, it was Boyd's own relationship with officers that had suffered most ...

... when posters such as the above began circulating within police circles.

A former high-ranking Mountie took over the reins on June 7th and he soon likely wondered what he had gotten himself into.

54-year-old Rod Knecht, most recently the Senior Deputy Commissioner of the RCMP, was officially sworn in at a ceremony held inside city hall.

It was hoped that the hiring of a cop's cop – once Alberta's top Mountie – would help boost morale among the rank and file.

When Knecht took office, the murder count stood at 25. Seven weeks later, the toll had reached 33 with four murders in six days.

It was then the Edmonton Sun published its notorious Deadmonton cover.

Knecht and city mayor Stephen Mandel held meetings, discussing a violence strategy that would possibly introduce controls over edged weapons, education programs and an increased police presence in problem neighbourhoods.

Retired criminologist Keith Spencer didn't hold out much hope for such a plan.

"The meetings are very political but because of the randomness – the sort of 'non-plannededness' to the vast majority of these murders – it's very hard to develop a plan for irrational behaviour," he said.

One of the first changes made under Knecht's plan was increased police visibility.

The new colour scheme for police cruisers was likely chosen to invoke a time when law and order still had the upper hand (and when society's issue were also more black and white).

In October, as part of his Violence Reduction Strategy, Knecht was seen hitting the street during one of several Community Action Team sweeps through inner-city neighbourhoods.

But when Edmonton's homicide count hit 40, an argument over numbers left some with doubt as to what sort of handle police had on the city's murder problem. An October 10th news conference also revealed the strain the police resources were under – read more »

In past years, Edmonton police tallied murders in the year they took place. A change in the way Statistics Canada now handles the numbers meant that two deaths deemed homicides in 2011 – one case from 2009 and the other from 2010 – were "artificially added" to the current year's total.

"It depends on how you count the numbers. I count them different," Knecht said. "We exclude two because they happened in '09 and '10."

In the grand scheme of Edmonton's murder history, the chief's reasoning resembled a river in Egypt as he tried to make the best of the numbers.

Knecht said more than 80 per cent of the people involved in 2011's homicides knew each other, with half of those homicides occurring inside private homes.

Three of the year's murders took place inside prison walls (Gyozo Victor Barasso, Barry Raymond Stewart, Mason Tex Montgrand). Two were the result of police shootings (Cyrus Green, Kinling Robin Fire). One death (Yusuf Abdirahim) was ruled non-culpable, meaning no criminal charges were contemplated. Another death (Anna Fedorio) was the result of another person's suicide.

Thus, using Knecht's new math, Edmonton's homicide count for the year should only read 31.

The city had set its previous record in 2005 with 39 murders. As of the date of the news conference, the death toll was only at 20 in 2010.

Compared to other cities, Edmonton was at Canada's murder forefront.

Toronto's tally for 2011 so far stood at 35, with Winnipeg at 32, Montreal at 28, Vancouver at 11, and Calgary (Edmonton's most comparable city) clocking in with just six.

Numbers aside, Knecht admits the city's ongoing penchant for violence was concerning.

"It's important to note that all these victims have their own stories," he said.

"They have families, they have friends, they have loved ones. And they all died unnecessarily.

"We're trying to prevent homicides as best we can, we know that's an almost impossible task," Knecht said.

"That's why our focus is on violence reduction, that's why we focus on possible victims."

"We think if we can focus on those people that are victims, or potential victims, and those people that are committing violent acts, that we can drive down the homicide rate," he said.

Knecht's focus was also on adding as many as 100 new police officers. The chief was ramping up the rhetoric in the lead up to the city's budget process set to begin at the end of November.

"We are stretched to capacity," Knecht said. "We've taken a lot of resources from other areas in the police service and put them full-time into the homicide unit to help with the high numbers and to move forward."

At mid-year, officers from robbery, patrol, sexual assault, and traffic were seconded to homicide investigations. The added officers Knecht spoke of were key to Edmonton police's Violence Reduction Strategy.

"Crime doesn't stop just because we have a rising homicide rate," Knecht said. "We have to address those issues overall to ensure Edmontonians are as safe as we can possibly make them."

A constant in Edmonton's homicide record is the toll within the Somali community which saw four deaths in 2011. As a percentage of the total annual number, this was one of community's better years.

Despite the murders being atypical, the community still felt police and the city weren't doing enough to stem the problem.

Only Jama's New Year's Day shooting death in the Papyrus lounge recalled past Somali murders.

Yusuf Abdirahim was beaten May 19th during an act police described as self-defence after a chance meeting between two groups of youths.

The June 3rd death of Abdi Ali Mohamud led police to reassure Edmontonians that they were safe if they stayed out the drug and gang lifestyle. It turned out Mohamud's was a case of mistaken identity, prompting Somali leaders to accuse investigators of tunnel vision.

Ahmed Ismail-Sheikh's murder on July 15th was the result of a house party gone wrong, according to police, and the issue of ethnicity appeared not to be involved.

As to why Edmonton hit 48, even those closest to the problem were stuck for answers.

Questioned at a media availability on July 29th in connection with the death of Kyle Gayda, Det. Dan Jones was asked about the city's sure-to-be-record-setting homicide rate.

"That's unfortunate – but we also went 28 days without having a murder. It's what it is," he said.

Leaving the impossible task of homicide prevention to others, Jones deftly confined his answer to describing his department's role.

"Our mandate is working active homicides – that's what we do," he said, curtly ending the line of inquiry.

Questioned at the scene of the city's 33rd murder on July 30th, Det. Dale Johnson offered what he could.

"I don't know what I can say that others haven't already said. We're busy, we're diligent in investigating all the homicides," Johnson said.

"Could we go many months without a homicide? I suppose we could. Statistically, is that possible? It's unlikely."

On January 1st, 2012, homicide Staff Sgt. Bill Clark also commented on the year that had just passed.

"We've started off the New Year so far, so good, nothing's come in since midnight," Clark said with a tinge of gallows humour.

"Last year ... I think everyone agrees it's an anomaly. Hopefully we don't have this many, or even close to as many.

"There's no real rhyme or reason as to why we had that many. Nothing we can pinpoint as in obvious gang problems or anything like that.

"It's just one of those years."

Case-by-case, the Last Link on the Left takes a look back at 2011 ... life and death on Edmonton's streets.

WARNING

--- related pages ---
homicide 2010 | homicide 2009 | homicide 2008 | homicide 2007

#1 - Mohamed Mahamoud Jama

Edmonton's 2011 murder-free streak lasted just three hours after police were dispatched to an ethnic watering hole at 107th Avenue and 112th Street. Inside they found 23-year-old Mohamud Mohamed Jama dead from a gunshot wound. They also found a bar full of witnesses – none of whom saw anything. The slaying once again pitted the local Somali community against Edmonton police ... and vice-versa. After the lead detective on the case said that the investigation should be shut down unless witnesses start co-operating, the victim's widow filed a complaint with the police chief » full details »

#2 - Niko Arlia

After two groups of youths met up at a hall party in the Killarney Community Centre on January 9th, 17-year-old Niko Arlia and several others were stabbed. Arlia staggered out of the hall, later collapsing in front of a home about a block away. Up to five suspects fled before police arrived. Several high school students were later suspended for comments left on Facebook in connection with Arlia's death. After witnesses came forward, a 19-year-old was charged with second-degree murder » full details »

#3 - Daniel Nickel

Police continue to investigate the death of 26-year-old Daniel Nickel after his body was found by a man walking his dog on January 13th along the edge of the North Saskatchewan River, near 137th Avenue and 20th Street. Police held back on releasing Nickel's cause of death but did say his murder was not a random act. It was later learned Nickel was facing sexual assault charges, including having sexual contact with children under 14 years of age » full details »

#4 - Christopher Allan Pirie

Officers first arrived at a house at 11413 82 Street around 5:00 a.m. January 28th after a 911 call came in about a disturbance. That led them to the alley where they found several pieces of clothing on a snowbank with a pair of black winter boots sticking out of it ... and that prompted the calling out of homicide detectives. An autopsy later confirmed that 32-year-old Christopher Allan Pirie had died as the result of homicide. Police then laid second-degree murder charges against three men » full details »

Pirie's death was the fourth in four weeks and raised concern that Edmonton was on track to breaking its previous murder of 39 set in 2005.

#5 - Cyrus Green

Just after midnight February 5th, officers confronted 17-year-old Cyrus Green near 72nd Street and 118th Avenue while investigating a robbery complaint. Police said Green lunged at the officers after being ordered to drop a bat and a knife, forcing them to fire their weapons. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) investigated the fatal shooting and later cleared police of wrongdoing, saying the homicide was victim-determined » full details »

#6 - Colby Baker-Buhay

A dispute over a cab was thought to be behind 19-year-old Colby Baker-Buhay's death. At approximately 2:00 a.m. February 6th, police responded to what appeared to be a minor assault complaint outside the Buffalo Underground Night Club in the historic Boardwalk building downtown. Baker-Buhay was taken to hospital and seemed fine at first. However, he died two days later. Two men then turned themselves in and were each charged with manslaughter » full details »

#7 - Jeanette Marie Cardinal

At about 1:00 p.m. February 7th, officers were called to the Eastwood Heights II apartments at 11926 81 Street to check on a sudden death after the body of 40-year-old Jeanette Marie Cardinal was found by a repairman working in a suite. "Inside the residence there are some suspicious things that I am not prepared to talk about right now," was all a veteran homicide detective had to say at the time ... and police have said nothing since » full details »

#8 - Jaswinder Takhar

Edmonton's eighth murder of the year took place on December 1st, 2010, but wasn't deemed a homicide until February 10th, 2011, after autopsy results had been completed. In order to comply with Statistics Canada regulations, police had to include the murder as part of year's count. Cause of death was not revealed, but detectives said they did not believe the murder of 45-year-old Jaswinder Takhar was a random act » full details »

#9 - Marietta Echavez

Domestic violence was thought to be behind Edmonton's ninth homicide of the year. Officers were called to 2349 Millbourne Road West shortly before 3:30 p.m. February 16th concerning the sudden death of Marietta Echavez. Police arrested 59-year-old Irineo Odoy at the scene and later charged him with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his common-law wife » full details »

#10 - Seven-year-old Boy

On January 9th, 2009, police investigated the case of a seven-year-old boy who had died in a home in southwest Edmonton. Several months later, police received new information which caused homicide detectives to reopen the case, finding new evidence that warranted charges of manslaughter, mischief endangering life, failing to provide the necessaries of life and criminal negligence causing death being laid on February 17th, 2011, against a caregiver. For the second time in 2011, Edmonton police to include a death from a previous year as part of their current homicide count in order to comply with Statistics Canada regulations » full details »

#11 - Stacy Steinhauer

Emergency crews responded at about 2:00 a.m. February 20th to the lane behind a residence at 12718 118 Street where they found a half-naked man lying in the snow beside a utility pole. Police figure 28-year-old Stacy Steinhauer died from stab wounds suffered during an alcohol-fueled altercation inside a nearby rooming house. Detectives quickly charged a 25-year-old man with second-degree murder along with possession of a weapon » full details »

#12 - Gyozo Victor Barasso

A federal maximum-security prison was locked down after Edmonton Institution officials had discovered 45-year-old Gyozo Victor Barasso's body at about 9:30 p.m. on February 26th. Autopsy results indicated the man serving time for robbery and assault had died from multiple stab wounds. A nation-wide investigation led to first-degree murder charges against two men, with three others facing counts of accessory after fact to murder and obstructing justice » full details »

Two months into 2011, Edmonton had now recorded 12 homicides (including the pair carried forward previous years). At this rate, the city looked set to the end the year with a toll nearing 50.

#13 - Gerry Oar

At about 1:00 a.m. March 5th, 24-year-old Gerry Oar was found by paramedics outside a two-storey rooming house at 10715 96 Street. Oar was transported to hospital where he died of stab wounds. Police took a person of interest, found several blocks away, into custody and later charged him with second-degree murder and possession of a weapon. Detectives figured alcohol had fuelled a fight inside the inner-city dwelling that neighbours called a "crack shack" » full details »

#14 - Bullen Ambassa

A report of an altercation brought police to the Village Acres apartment complex near 67th Street and 130th Avenue late March 25th. Inside a third-floor suite they found 33-year-old Bullen Ambassa suffering serious stab wounds. Two days after Ambassa died, police charged a man with second-degree murder. No motive was identified » full details »

#15 - Kinling Robin Fire

For the second time in 2011, a police shooting left a man dead and actions by officers under review after a complaint came in of a distraught man in the city's west end. According to police, 38-year-old Kinling Robin Fire emerged from his vehicle and threatened officers with a weapon. Family said Fire was upset over a custody dispute and had digested a bottle of sleeping pills. However, they dispute claims he was armed or anticipated suicide by cop (what police term "victim-determined homicide") » full details »

Suspended investigation - Kerry Takkiruq

On March 31st, groundskeepers at a city-owned golf course discovered a woman's body in an area not accessible by vehicles. She was identified two weeks later as 19-year-old Kerry Takkiruq after an appeal to the public for information. Investigators treated the former Nunavut woman's death as suspicious pending toxicology tests. On December 23rd, police said they had "suspended" their investigation after not being able to determine a criminal cause related to the woman's death » full details »

#16 - Michael Roach

An altercation behind a downtown addictions treatment facility late April 3rd led to the death of 49-year-old Michael Roach. Roach died of stab wounds the next day. A 50-year-old fellow homeless man was arrested at the scene and faced charges of second-degree murder, possession of a weapon, and possession of a narcotic » full details »

#17 & #18 - The Wong-Fendelet Double Murder

Perry Kit Wong, 72, and Eloise Fendelet, 71, were last seen separately on December 27th, 2010. Their bodies were found lying side-by-side in a field west of Edmonton on April 13th, 2011. The investigation began as a missing persons case in January after friends reported the couple's disappearance. In March, homicide detectives took the matter on. After Wong and Fendelet's bodies were found, police seemed to know little more about what had happened and said even less, not commenting on reports that the couple were wrapped in garbage bags and had been murdered execution style » full details »

#19 - John Stanley Kwiatkowski

At about 6:23 a.m. April 14th, EMS were called to a home in Rundle Heights after a woman found her common-law husband dead. It was figured 29-year-old John Stanley Kwiatkowski had been attacked during a break-in and robbery. A two-year-old child was also struck. No suspects have been identified and the investigation continues » full details »

#20 - Barry Raymond Stewart

It was one of the rare cases where police had a man in custody before a crime had been committed. Homicide detectives were called out at about 5:00 a.m. May 12th after 59-year-old Barry Raymond Stewart was found dead inside the Edmonton Remand Centre. It later emerged Stewart had been stomped on the head 15 times allegedly by a cellmate a psychologist recommended be housed alone due to an unstable mental condition » full details »

#21 - Ronald George Primeau

At about 2:00 a.m. May 16th, a fight broke out between several men near 106th Avenue and 103rd Street just north of downtown. A man's body was found lying in the road when emergency services arrived. First treated as a suspicious death, investigators later revealed that 42-year-old Ronald George Primeau had died of a stab wound. Police continue to look for suspects in yet another death along the city's troubled Avenue of Nations » full details »

#22 - John Gavin Lindsay

Domestic violence was thought to be behind Edmonton's 22nd homcide of the year after John Gavin Lindsay died of a stab wound suffered in his apartment at 11011 83 Street early May 20th. The 55-year-old man's common-law wife was charged with second-degree murder » full details »

#23 - Yusuf Abdirahim

Early May 19th, 20-year-old Somali-Canadian Yusuf Abdirahim was found by police lying on the road near 149th Avenue and 71st Street after he suffered a serious head injury sustained during an assault. He died two days later in hospital. Citing self-defence, police did not lay charges – something that didn't sit well with Abdirahim's family and eye-witnesses » full details »

#24 - Robert Anderson

A frail 70-year-old with a generous heart fell victim to foul play after winning it big at a local casino. Police charged Robert Anderson's short-term roommate with second-degree murder after the senior hadn't been seen for five days prior to May 31st. Search warrant documents revealed police discovered Anderson lying on his back, his right temple caved in, with blood pooled around a pillow » full details »

#25 - Abdi Ali Mohamud

A detective called it a homicide unlike any he had dealt with before – but refused to release details. The acting police chief said Edmontonians had nothing to fear if they minded their own business – but then it turned out the June 3rd death of 43-year-old Abdi Ali Mohamud was a case of mistaken identity. That meant a killer was on the loose and the original intended target still had a bullet next to his name. The local Somali community expressed fear and outrage » full details »

#26 - Bruce Dumais

It's widely held that cigarettes kill. On June 19th, Bruce Dumais discovered that simply going out to buy cigarettes had equal consequences after the 22-year-old was stabbed on his way to a convenience store on Edmonton's infamous Avenue of Nations. Surveillance video helped lead police to a 16-year-old who was charged with second-degree murder » full details »

#27 - Cindy Gladue

A dead body in a bathtub and a room full of blood greeted a Yellowhead Inn hotel worker on June 22nd after a mystery 911 call was placed from inside the rented room. Police have said little about the homicide other than that an Ontario man – arrested in Calgary – had been charged with second-degree murder in the death of 36-year-old Cindy Gladue » full details »

#28 - William Arthur Reid Hill

The story of the murder of William Arthur Reid Hill unravelled not unlike a Quentin Tarantino movie featuring a cast of characters who likely flunked crime school. On June 23rd, police found the 57-year-old who had been hastily stuffed into a McCauley-area house attic after one of his two assailants bailed out of crime scene clean-up duties. Officers later arrested a man who was driving around in the victim's car. Another man was arrested later. When all was said and done, police laid two charges of first-degree murder » full details »

#29 - Ahmed Ismail-Sheikh

The July 15th death of 25-year-old Ahmed Ismail-Sheikh was the fourth Somali-Canadian murder, and the city's 29th slaying, of the year. But unlike past homicides involving members of that community – often linked to criminal activity – Ismail-Sheikh's murder differed greatly: a detective likened the crime to a "house party that went out of control" ... and an arrest had been made. That said, the Somali community still suffered another loss and one prominent leader put the City of Edmonton on notice » full details »

#30 - Michael Wayne Tunnicliffe

On July 24th, residents near 157th Avenue and 45th Street were stunned to see a man suddenly collapse on the road. No one saw where 26-year-old Michael Wayne Tunnicliffe came from but some reported hearing the gunshot that killed him. (Update: In February 2012, police charged a 22-year-old man with first-degree murder and four firearms-related offences). » full details »

#31 - Kyle Gayda

"The most significant burnt-out vehicle I've ever seen," was how a homicide detective described the car 27-year-old Kyle Gayda was found in. "Basically there was nothing left of it." The charred car was found July 27th hidden behind trees in a field near the intersection of 156th Street and St. Albert Trail. Police soon found themselves at a dead-end in their investigation and turned to social media to help solve the case » full details »

#32 - Eric Larry Cardinal

The July 28th death of 30-year-old Eric Larry Cardinal was all too familiar: another stabbing in Mary Burlie Park. The tiny piece of land on 97th Street just north of downtown has often been the scene of violence and Cardinal's homicide left the park's future in doubt » full details »

#33 - Eric Dexter Janvier

It was hard to figure what someone was thinking ... stabbing a man sleeping on a bench in broad daylight under the watch of surveillance cameras. But that's what happened on July 30th in front of the Boyle Street Services building at 10116 105 Avenue. A community worker called 44-year-old Eric Dexter Janvier's death "senseless, random, awful," and it was the second murder of a homeless man in the city's core in just two days » full details »

Cardinal's murder was the 15th since May 8th and homicide detectives were working flat out to handle the load ... but it could be worse.

"I tell you right now we could have double if it wasn't for the great work of paramedics," detective Bill Clark said.

#34 - Mason Tex Montgrand

For the second time in 2011, city homicide detectives had to deal with a death at the Edmonton Institution. The latest call came in on August 16th after 21-year-old Mason Tex Montgrand had died of multiple stab wounds. Corrections staff later admitted Montgrand and his attacker were members of rival gangs based in Saskatchewan » full details »

#35 - Mohan Heer

The still of a summer night in a quiet neighbourhood was broken by the sound of an SUV pinning a man against his own house on late August 18th. 59-year-old Mohan Heer was run over – twice – allegedly by a man neighbours identified as his son » full details »

#36 - Kyle Joy-Trussert

Friendship was re-defined in west Edmonton after a dying man sent police on a wild-goose chase to protect his roomate on September 10th. After investigators sorted things out they still charged 23-year-old Kyle Joy-Trussert's buddy with manslaughter. One man said the pair was playing with a gun they didn't know was loaded » full details »

#37 - Chrysostom Caragay Marquez

The city recorded its 37th murder of the year after 27-year-old Chrysostom Caragay Marquez was stabbed during an altercation in a suite inside the Baywood Apartments near Westmount Mall on September 17th. Police later arrested five people, charging one with second-degree murder and the other four with manslaughter » full details »

#38 - Chinese Senior

An 84-year-old Chinese woman was sexually assaulted on May 8th inside a downtown Chinatown seniors lodge. A 45-year-old man was charged with numerous offences. The woman died eight days later from injuries suffered during the attack but it took until September 19th for homicide detectives and the Crown prosecutor’s office to upgrade the senior's death to homicide. For the 45-year-old man, troubles worsened as he now faced an additional charge of second-degree murder » full details »

#39 - Anna Fedorio

As the smoke was clearing on August 2nd, police were only certain of just a few things: that there had been two separate explosions with two resulting fires ... and two dead bodies had been found in adjacent suites of a seniors complex. It would take until September 20th before investigators declared one of the deaths a homicide and the other a suicide. Anna Fedorio, 83, died during the explosion and resulting fire. Ken Kopiak, 64, was also found dead at the scene » full details »

#40 - Daniel Charles Hamer

It was a place police had been to many times before, which had been condemned by the city, and was well-known as a crack shack and prostitution den. It was in that Parkdale home on October 8th that 35-year-old Daniel Charles Hamer suffered blunt cranial trauma. Some said an axe had been used. Police interviewed two men from the home but said a self-defence angle kept investigators from laying charges » full details »

#41 & #42 - The Rosehill Double Murder

It's not unusual to find a dead body in a cemetery. And it's not unusual to find two. But when they're found together at 6:30 in the morning in a running late-model black GMC Denali SUV riddled with bullet holes ... well, even police were quick to say that was unusual. The drama unfolded early October 11th at the Rosehill Cemetery on Edmonton's southern edge. Two Lloydminster men, 26-year-old Trevor James Greenway and 36-year-old Jason Trundle, had been shot dead. Police have remained tight-lipped ever since » full details »

#43 - Nakoa Ramsey Thomas

Mystery continues to surround the death of Nakoa Thomas. The 21-year-old was gunned down October 13th in an alley near 69th Street south of 132nd Avenue while visiting a former girlfriend. Numerous witnesses were only able to provide a vague description of the man responsible and the murder remains unsolved » full details »

#44 - Ashneil Ajit Singh

When police got the call on November 29th, it marked the first time they had to deal with a homicide in nearly seven weeks. It was the longest break between murders they had all year. But despite having 21-year-old Ashneil Ajit Singh on the phone as he lay dying in a field somewhere on Edmonton's southwestern edge, investigators were unable to put a name to his killer. From what was reported, Singh didn't know where he was ... and apparently didn't know – or didn't say – who shot and stabbed him ... or where » full details »

#45 - Russell Haidar

On December 14th, a late-night rendezvous in a west-end park left 17-year-old Russell Haidar dead from gunshots wounds. Two persons were arrested for the year's 45th homicide and were charged with second-degree murder. Police have remained tight-lipped about what was behind the shooting, leaving the teen's friends and family with more questions than answers » full details »

Suspicious death - Michael Allen Haley

Mystery continues to surround the death of a 40-year-old Michael Allen Haley after his body was found in an Inglewood apartment on December 27th. Police had checked Haley's suite concerning a broken window in the afternoon and were called back hours later to find the man had died. At last word, police were waiting for toxicology tests to determine the course of their investigation in a case still labelled as suspicious » full details »

When homicide detectives thought 2011 was going to be a tough year after getting their first call at 3:00 a.m. on January 1st, they likely didn't think the last day of the year could be worse. Within 15 hours, three deaths had police scrambling to keep up.

#46 - Jamie Francis Vickers

The plans of three men from Newfoundland went off the rails when one of them was murdered and the other two were arrested for his death. Early December 31st, Edmonton police found the body of 35-year-old Jamie Francis Vickers in a Mill Woods home after receiving a tip from RCMP in Fort McMurray. His roomates, two men Vickers had hired as construction labourers back east, were charged with second-degree murder » full details »

#48 - Rukmani Prasad

For the second time in four days, police dealt with a suspicious death that may yet add to the city's 2011 murder record. Just after noon on December 31st, a house fire claimed the life of 60-year-old Rukmani Prasad and left her husband in hospital with severe burns. Police said they were treating the woman's death as criminal, with homicide detectives waiting for toxicology test results.

Update: On February 25th, 2012, Prasad's husband died of his injuries. On March 6th, police announced that Rukmani Prasad's death was a homicide. Confusion reigned when a detective said Edmonton police would add Prasad's death to their 2011 total while reporting it to Statistics Canada as a 2012 murder » full details »

#47 - Misty Lynn Ward

The last official murder of 2011 was also the most gruesome. A maintenance man checking a leak in a storage room inside the Edge on Jasper condominium building at 8306 Jasper Avenue on December 31st found blood dripping from the suite above. When police came to check, the maintenance man saw 27-year-old Misty Lynn Ward's leg lying in the kitchen. The rest of her was in the bathtub. Police charged a man, also 27, with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a human body » full details »

--- related pages ---
homicide 2010 | homicide 2009 | homicide 2008 | homicide 2007

All the information presented on this page has been compiled primarily from published media reports and should not be interpreted as having legal bearing or other prejudice against the individuals named on this web site.
The Last Link on the Left practices fair presentation and the disclosure of relevant interests.
Mouseover for image credits.